The only specialised marine publication in Oceania that focuses on the maritime industry, from super yachts to small craft to large commercial ships, including coastal shipping, tugs, tow boats, barges, ferries, tourist, sport-fishing craft
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WATERWAYS – Waterfront Business In brief… No sign of passenger A large search and rescue operation failed to find a middle-aged man who fell overboard on the ferry Southern Express between Bluff and Halfmoon Bay on Stewart Island in the evening of August 2. Two helicopters, one with night vision equipment, Coastguard and several other vessels searched the area but found no sign of him. None of the other passengers saw him go overboard and his absence was not noticed until the ferry berthed. Coastguard spokesman Andy Johnson said the search involved at least 50 people. It was called off late in the evening due to deteriorating sea conditions, but resumed at first light. His body has not been recovered. Shipping line shifts coverage Carpenters Shipping began suspending its services to New Zealand, Australia and Fiji "indefinitely" in July. The shipping line said it would focus instead on services between ports in Asia, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. Transhipment options will remain from a multitude of Asian ports. The Pac Antlia will be the last to complete the current schedule's full rotation when she makes the service's final New Zealand call at the port of Tauranga. Boaties may have fallen asleep Three fishermen whose boat was found upside down, smashed into rocks off the eastern coast north of Auckland on July 4, may have been asleep. The Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre called in the Westpac Rescue Helicopter after the 24-year-old skipper and two young crew set off their emergency beacon. The chopper crew found the trio at Te Arai Point flashing a torch at around 1245. A spokesman for the rescue centre, Keith Allen, said initial police interviews indicated the men may have fallen asleep. "But that's still to be further investigated," he said. Allen said it was initially difficult to find the crew's position. "It appears they were uncertain how to use the EPIRB and had turned it off and on, so the satellites weren't actually recording a proper position." The correct procedure is to set the beacon off in a clear spot and leave it going until rescuers arrive. 40 Professional Skipper September/October 2011 Humpback whales back in Niue THE WHALE SEASON began in Niue in July with the first sightings of migrating humpback whales. The Pacific island, located 2400km northeast of New Zealand, is on the whales' migration path and they arrive every year to calve and nurse their young. Tour operators have started to take visitors out to swim with these majestic animals, as Niue is one of the few places in the world where this is possible. It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Lonely Planet writer Brett Atkinson's amazing experience was rated as the number one activity in the South Pacific after he had a close encounter with a whale and her calf while snorkelling. Because Niue is an atoll, its deep water means visitors can swim within 50m of the shore, providing a spectacular show. Guests at the Matavai Resort often enjoy the whale gymnastics from the deck of the resort. At night, the whales are so close to shore their calls sometimes keep people awake. Boaties can also enjoy watching mothers basking on the surface with their calves, or listen to the whales sing to each other in the bay. See www.niueisland.com HOKI CATCH SPURS GROWTH THIS SEASON'S HOKI are bigger, more copious and of a higher quality than they have been for more than 10 years, says the group chief executive of Sealord, Graham Stuart. "We're getting complaints that some of the fish are too big to fit on the cutting tables." Stuart was commenting on the effect of the increase in the total allowable commercial catch (TACC) for hoki to 120,000 tonnes for the 2010-11 season, about 10,000 tonnes more than the previous year. This compares to a TACC of as low as 90,000 tonnes in 2007-08. Hoki makes up about 18 percent of Sealord's revenue. "It's been an arduous journey," Stuart said. Sealord fishes some 30 percent of the TACC for hoki, and it is now worth just over $100 million. "We fished down the hoki stocks and we've had to be in a conservative mode with those. Now we're coming back into regrowth. It's a well-recognised sustainable fishery. Customers internationally are acknowledging that." Stuart said Sealord was looking at stretching into acquisitions and fish farming. It already took about 10 percent of its turnover from aquaculture and was now getting more involved on a higher level. The high New Zealand dollar had slammed returns, but these had been partly offset by cheaper imports, like fuel, he said.