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[Aaron Fox]

Kota Ekspres is phasing out of the WSN service and getting replaced by JPO Libra(imo: 9297840) in Melbourne on the 5 of November

Some vessel changes for the MSC Kiwi Service
MSC Alabama is phasing out and getting replaced by Hope Island
Wieland (imo: 9654464) is joining the Kiwi Service

Cali (imo: 9631101) is calling as a extra loader at Bluff, Napier, Tauranga for MSC

Warnow Cheif (imo: 9449857) and Contship Ten (imo: 9347982) will call at Nelson, Tauranga as extra loaders for MSC

[Stephen Chester]

Still long delays at Ports of Aucklands Fergusson container terminal. Ships at anchor:

Nefeli 7 days
Seasmile 5 days
GH Zonda 9 days
Hansa Freyburg 5 days
Kalliroe 9 days
NYK Futago 6 days
Maine Trader 11 days

However some container vessels come straight in on arrival.

The coastal vessel Moana Chief ommitted a call at Auckland and went to Marsden Point.
Spirit of Shanghai ommitted Auckland and went to Tauranga.

[Mike Cornwall]

Hi Steve,

Problem is lack of staff.People are leaving and signing off due to excessive hours. You cannot keep working 5x12hr shifts, have 1 day off, and then do it all again. This normal. Days off are advised for the weeks ahead, and then often changed the day before. So family life goes out the window. People are tired and this is why we have had 2 deaths in the last 2yrs. As a union we have tried to get the company to change, but they up until now will not listen However you may see some changes before Xmas as they are due to be sentenced for Laboom's death on the 4th of Dec, the Akl Council will release their report on Amo's death in the first half of December. An interim report not yet made public, has been exceptionally scathing on the company. Expect fireworks in the next few weeks. Xin Zhang Zhou was on the pick for 8 days and will be at least 4 day alongside. Mostly we can only work 3 maybe 4 cranes at a time. We have 7.Trucking companies are also very angry, and some owner drivers are re-locating to CHC as they cannot make a living with all the delays at Ferguson and Metrobox. Shipping Companies are tearing their hair out and the word is we will probably lose another customer.

[Stephen Chester]

Hi Mike
Why is it they seem to be able to do it at Tauranga but not Auckland. I thought these new cranes and the automation was supposed to make things more effecient and easier for you guys. If they lose another customer then the new cranes will be white elephants.

[Brent]

Really commisserate on the fatalaties there Mike and the tough times staff are going through. Apparently can't attract replacement staff as soon as the robot cranes and straddles are up and running they will no longer be required. Now Metroport has fallen apart, constant days of no receiving and if they are is extrememly limited windows, northern exporters being run ragged. Tauranga are starting to limit activities with diverted vessels, systems around our biggest ports are strangled. Where is the way out, NZ logistics really in chaos!!

[Mike Cornwall]

The situation is really very complex. They wanted automation to get rid of troublesome humans. But automation is simply not working.Why ?. In all honesty I don't know why, but there are problems after problems. Plus the old cranes could lift 1x40 or 2x 20 boxes, and the yellow strads could lift the same. The new cranes can lift 4x20 or 2x40 boxes. However the the autostrads (the blue ones) can only lift 1x20 or 1x40. See the issues. Complete waste of money. The autostrads only do around 60% of productivity compared with a manned strad. So they need more of them at 2.5 mill each. They are very very slow. (Ask a truckie) Automation has been put back till next March. Covid is blamed, but the system is not working, plus the Xmas rush and upcoming export season are almost upon us. Automation by then will be about 3yrs late.
As to why TGA can do it, the guys are not being thrashed as we are. They cannot hold train people here quick enough to keep pace with resignations. All of us work to support our lifestyles, but here if you have a young family, you leave home b4 the kids wake up, and you come home after they are back in bed. Imagine what your wife/partner thinks of that day after day. Then when you have a day off, make arrangements to do things, and POAL tells you at 1pm the day b4, "sorry you have to work". What does that do for "family life". This happens EVERY week. In the end people say "bugger this" and they resign. Poal are deceitful, they have no integrity, and frankly are dishonest, they favour one group over another (The Co union, Portpro, over MUNZ),therefore you often end up with the wrong people being promoted, and behaivour issues are often decided on the same basis. People are promoted on loyalties rather than talent. Remember also the new cranes (3x25mil each) have been here for 2yrs now and are not used anywhere near their capacity, the new strads have been almost 3hrs, (27 @ 2.5mill each) and only a few are used each day, sometimes none. All in all it is a shambles, if they swallowed their pride and went back to 8hr shifts most of the problems would go away. but they are too arrogant to do that. But after you have killed 2 people in 2yrs, the birds will come home to roost very soon.

[Stephen Chester]

Seaspan Hamburg IMO 9224300 is replacing Brotonne Bridge on WCNA schedule.

[Stephen Chester]

Swire Shipping are replacing BBC Nagasaki with the larger Sider Jasmine IMO 9463542 on the Trans Tasman schedule.

[Stephen Chester]

As off 0900 this morning 5th December there are 11 vessels anchored off the Port of Auckland waiting their turn to berth. 

1 Car carrier, 1 bulk carrier, 1 reefer, 2 general cargo, 6 container ships.

[Mike Cornwall]

Yes Stephen, one of those ships the Seaspan Fraser arrived at the anchorage AM the 30th Nov and will not berth until the 15th Dec.
It will not get any better until well into next year.
There are not enough workers or straddles. One ex worker was told last week that he did have enough experience. He had driven straddles for 14yrs !!!. But he was in his early 60's, Another guy could not even get an interview, 62yrs old. ex helicopter pilot
Also yellow strads that have been "enhanced" for automation, cannnot be used in the manual area. Last week 6 of these were unused and we had more drivers than useable strads.
Situation hopeless !.

[Stephen Chester]

The Constantinos P is unloading all her Auckland containers at Northport. My sister-in-law lives in Whangarei and they have been told that over 1000 truck journeys will be needed to move the containers to Auckland on SH1. They hope to do most journeys between 11pm and 6am. I presume that one of the journeys will be during the day, unless the trucks will sit all day at Northport.

[Tony des Landes]

Maersk are showing the Monte Azul (IMO 9348053) joining the Southern Star Service next January. It appears as though she will be an extra vessel.

[Aaron Fox]

Changes with the MSC Asia- Oceania services
https://www.msc.com/nzl/notices/2020-december/msc-updates-its-asia-oceania-network

MSC has changed the Capricorn and Kiwi Express services due to increased demand these changes are the following.

MSC Capricorn
Port rotation: Singapore- Fremantle- Adelaide- Melbourne- Bluff- Napier- Tauranga- Auckland- Brisbane- Jakarta- Tanjung Pelepas- Singapore

First vessel is MSC Banu departing Singapore on the 20/12/2020

MSC Kiwi Express
Port rotation: Singapore- Jakarta- Brisbane- Sydney- Auckland- Nelson- Wellington- Lyttleton- Port Chalmers- Brisbane- Tanjung Pelepas- Singapore

First vessel is Northern Diamond departing Singapore on the 26/12/2020

[Stephen Chester]

Port of Auckland will really have to get their act together for next year. MSC have allocated calls on both Kiwi Express and Capricorn into Auckland, the only port in the country to get this. That is a total of 12 vessels.

[Tony des Landes]

Bernhard Schulte (IMO 9484546) is to replace Seasmile on the KIX Service.

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