IDLE SHIPPING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 21068, 30 December 1931, Page 10

IDLE SHIPPING.

HARBOUR BOARD'S PROBLEM. FIFTY VESSELS IN HARBOUR. Owing to the depression causing the laying up of a large number of vessels the Auckland Harbour Board is having difficulty in finding anchorages for all the idle vessels in port. There is always a number of vessels of various descriptions, such as hulks, lighteis. barges, and old craft, that have to have permanent anchoiages. and the anchorage for those kinds of vessels is at Shoal Bay, between Stanley Point and Northcote. That part of the harbour is always filled with hulks and laid up coasting craft, the number there at present being about 40. In addition, seven vessels are anchored off Hobson Bay and three off Birkenhead. With so many vessels needing anchorages the Harbour Board's' difficulty is to place them in positions where they are clear of the fairway and do not interfere with other vessels navigating the harbour. Included among the laid-up vessels are nine Union Company steamers, eight Northern Company vessels, and the. small coastal steamers Gunbar and Mahuiangi. The majority of these vessels are idle owing to the slackness of trade, but some o; the Northern Company's vessels were rendered idle owing to services they were in being abandoned because the cargo and passenger traffic had been diverted to load and rail. The vessels anchored off Hobson Bay are the Union Company's steamers Kaitoke. Waifemata, Waitomo, Kairnnga, Kiwite.i and Ivaimanawa, and the Nobel auxiliary schooner Piri, which is used for lightering explosives. Anchored off Birkenhead arc the Union Company's steamers Kurow, Waiotapu and Kaponga. The anchorage off Shoal Bay contains a large variety of vessels. They include the Northern Company's steamers Clansman, Kin tu, Rarawa, Ngapuhi, Ngatiawa, Aupotiri, Waiotahi, and Wakatorc, the small coastal steamers Gunbar and Malm-' rengi, the coal hulks Eure, Kakapo, (Madbrook,. Wanganui, Jubilee, \ eritas, Columbia. Dart ford and Bothsay Bay, and the oil store ship Flora; the trawlers Simplon, Bat'oona, Countess, Ahuriri and Kaliu; and the small sailing coasters Maggie, Pahiki, Iluia, Era, Mabel, Samoa. Riinu, Clio, Rambler, Rangitoto and Gannet, which are generally used for lightering work. The hulks, store ships and lighters are moved about the harbour when needed, and are returned to the anchorage when their work is completed. It is possible that somo of the UniMi Company's coastal cargo steamers may be recommissioued after the holidays, but the majority of the steamers will remain in •port for a considerable period until trade increases.