Settlement failure leaves Tarihiko stranded

Press, 26 May 1984, Page 8

Settlement failure leaves Tarihiko stranded

PA New Plymouth With no settlement last evening of the demarcation dispute over the loading of liquefied petroleum gas it seemed likely that the gas tanker would be stranded’at Port Taranaki until at least Monday. The Shipping Corporation, which manages the vessel on behalf of Liquigas, Ltd, failed to reach agreement with the Seammen's Union yesterday over the turning of valves, traditionally a task of seamen under the supervision of deck officers, who are members of the Merchant Service Guild. However, on the Tarihiko the job has been awarded to the ship’s cargo officer, a guild member, apparently for safety reasons. A Shipping Corporation document had been considered by the union yesterday and a meeting would be

held with the corporation on Monday to discuss it, said the national secretary of the Seamens’ Union, Mr Jim Woods. The union had also put forward a proposal to get gas supplies moving to the South Island, said Mr Woods. “We suggested that the vessel should be loaded immediately under supervision of deck officers, sail to Dunedin, unload under the supervision of officers, and then get the parties together.” The proposal had been rejected, Mr Woods said. The assistant secreary of the guild, Mr John McLeod, said the corporation and the guild had a common responsibility for the efficient and safe running of the Tarihiko. He said the guild had not claimed the work, but neither did it believe any union had particular

coverage of it. “We do not see it as a demarcation issue, but an issue of safety — and safety cannot be over-emphasised. “This is not a coastal tanker, it is a gas carrier, and we have not had one of these (in New Zealand) before. The guild members on board have been trained on tankers in Europe and have the relevant endorsement on their certificates to allow them to sail on L.P.G. tankers,” Mr McLeod said. The Tarihiko arrived at Port Taranaki on Tuesday to take 1000 tonnes of L.P.G. to the South Island. Since Wednesday it could not have taken on L.P.G. anyway, because the tanker Kotuku was loading condensate. Unless the Tarihiko dispute is resolved and loading begins on Monday, it faces further delays next week when the Kotuku returns and another tanker arrives to load methanol.