Accord brings end to L.P.G. shortage

Press, 19 May 1984, Page 9

Accord brings end to L.P.G. shortage

South Island stocks of liquefied petroleum gas should be replenished at the end of next week, after the settlement of a dispute in Wellington yesterday. The dispute over the number of crew on the new 516 million L.P.G. tanker Tarihiko had delayed its first shipment of 1000 tonnes of Maui L.P.G. to the Dunedin bulk depot. The shipment was expected last week. The Dunedin depot ran dry about 10 days ago and South Island supplies have been running low since then.

The deputy general manager of the Shipping Corporation which manages the ship for Liquigas, Ltd, Mr Ray

Shea, said that a settlement between it and the four maritime unions involved was reached yesterday. The ship was expected to sail for New Plymouth on Monday, arrive there on Tuesday, and be at Dunedin by the end of the week.

The national secretary of the Seamen’s Union, Mr Dave Morgan, said the number of crew would be the same as agreed with the company last year, before the ship arrived in New Zealand. The company had wanted to reduce this number.

While the negotiations on crewing were now complete, other matters needed to be “tidied up” and discus-

sions would continue. Mr Morgan said. The general manager of Liquigas, Mr Tony Easther, could not be reached for comment last evening. The main supplier of_ L.P.G. in Christchurch, the Christchurch Gas Company’s L.P.G. Centre, stopped selling the gas to private motorists on Wednesday. Supplies for commercial and industrial users were also running low, but the director of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association, Mr lan Howell, said on Thursday that the companies reached by the association had between three and six weeks supply of L.P.G. left.