Is New Zealand Shipping Dead?

[Stephen Chester]

I have noticed that the Australian Company ANL has managed to get a ship into three shipping services serving New Zealand. They are ANL Yarrunga, NZ/Australia, ANL Yanderra, NZ/US West Coast and ANL Esprit NZ/US East Coast & Europe. Why is it that there are no NZ shipping companies that can put ships on to these trades that are taking NZ goods to the world? Must we put our faith in our Australian cousins to represent us on the world stage?    :-(

[Mike Cornwall]

Hi there,

ANL Australian owned, no way mate.

They are owned by the French these days, CMA/CGM.

Of course we are dead, just like the Aussies, Yanks etc, we are just too expensive on the world scene.

Like you, I wish it were otherwise, but thats life.

But one thing that really make me angry, is when each week we load NZ coastal cargo on a COSCO vessel.
The NZ Govt should be shot for allowing that.

That is no differant that bringing in foreigners to drive the busses or scivy in the hospitals.

I'm getting off subject here.

Mike

[Brent]

A bit of a shame about a lack of a national caarier but when you look at what is going on, many other countries are also now no longer represented in the world's shipping lanes. In the seventies there were lots of state owned operations for such countries as Nigeria, Malaysia, East Germany, Ghana, Pakistan, Poland and of course Aussie and NZ. Most couldn't keep up with the reinvesment required esp. when containerisation came along and couldn't keep a lid on costs, with kiwi crews a big problem even though the crews themselves didn't cause many problems.

ANL is still alive because the French just use the name and colours on the odd ship here and there, the French themselves control the operation and provide the ships. ANL as such is now only a branch office of CMA CGM, though I think there is still or ship or two the Aussies crew.

Little point now in getting romantic about shipping, she's dog eat dog. Was that yr photo of the Maersk Hong Kong at earlier this week Stevie? Shipping people tell me that when they visitred the crew in Napier, they were dog tired, a port every day had given them little rest and no doubt really happy to be going to long run trades. Even the captain had been operating on remote control for a month, what kiwi crew would live with that now even though they did 20 years ago.

Cheers

Brent

[Glenn Towler]

The ANL Bass Trader is Aussie Flagged and Crewed.

The only 3 vessels that visit Hobart Frequently under the Australian Flag are the Shell Tanker Helix (but I have heard reports that she is to be reflagged in Singapore but retain the Australian Crew) and the Vigsnes ex Iron Sturt and the Aurora Australis aka "The Red Tug Boat".

The ANL Bass Trader does the occasional trip down to Hobart but I noticed now that the Jebsens Bulk Carrier Enterprise is now under the Australian flag which is good to see.

But I can understand how you New Zealanders feel, I can fully understand a foriegn Container shps picking up containers in Sydney to take to Melbourne when that seem logical if there is space avalible  But what I do object to is the Number of foriegn bulk carriers coming into Australia to Kurumba in North Queensland and loading concentrates to deliver to Australian ports and then sailing out of Australian waters empty.  I think the Australian and New Zealand Governments need to get together to really crack down on these foreign ships especialy the Tongan Flag is most ships that were once aussie flagged are now flagged in Tonga with crews from many diferent nationalites who can understand a word each other is saying.  One of these days there is going to be a huge disaster in our waters and we only have the Government to blame.

[Stephen Chester]

We used to have a coastal RORO service between Auckland, Wellington and the South Island. I see car carrier trucks coming on to the wharf and offloading cars,trucks,tractors and earthmovers and they sit on the wharf for sometimes up to two weeks until a Panamanian registered car carrier loads them and takes them to the South Island.
I see from the Shipping Gazette that the unions and coastal shipping lobby were taking Maersk to the High Court because of their coastal feeder service that may have breached section 198 of the Maritime Transport Act.The Act states that "An international shipping line can only call at NZ ports as part of an international service"
Surely picking cars etc up in Auckland and taking them to Lyttelton is not part of an international service, as these vehicles are not transhipped cargo.
There, I've got that off my chest, perhaps the Maritime Act needs to be repealed and fast!!!!  :-D

[Mike Cornwall]

Hi Steve,

Mate, you and I are "as one" on this issue.

I worked for Tasman Orient for 1 yr in their ops dept. They set up a freight forwarder called Cubic, specifically to market freight from  Auckland to the South Island. We would book 50/70 teu on every sailing.
This is NZ  cargo, not transhipments, cargo that should be carried by NZ crewed ships, or by rail, and NOT by a Hong Kong owned company using German owned ships crewed by Fillipinos and Maldivian crew at 500usd per month.
This is why I, now working for the Ports, get so angry when we have load Cosco vessels every 2 weeks, from that very democratic country called China, with NZ cargo..

But, we have to get used to it, because, as plebs, we can't do anything about it.

Mike

[Peter S. aus N]

Hi all Kiwis,

last week I stayed in Shanghai and eat in the hotel butter from New Zealand. Some days later I made at home a barbeque for my friends we eat lamb from N.Z.
That's globalization in the world and no one can stop it
Greetings from Germany
Peter- Xylad