LAWYER SAYS UK SUB SANK TRAWLER
A LAWYER IN Paris who claims the British nuclear attack submarine HMS Turbulent was responsible for the sinking of a Breton trawler and the loss of her five crew has accused its former commander and a government minister of lying to the police and parliament. Dominique Tricaud is representing Thierry le Metayer, who lost his father Georges when the Bugaled Breizh sank off the Lizard on January 15, 2004. Turbulent was first accused by the French of sinking the Bugaled Breizh by two investigative journalists who
produced a NATO message which they said implied she was at sea at the time of the accident.
But the Royal Navy has always insisted
Turbulent was alongside the quay at her base at Devonport at the time the Bugaled sank. "We have a direct witness who heard an admission by Cdr Coles that his submarine was responsible," Tricaud said. A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: "Any report that a Royal Navy submarine may have been involved in the loss of the French fishing vessel Bugaled Breizh is totally unfounded."
Auckland port reports increased profits
PORTS OF AUCKLAND Limited's profit after tax for the 2010-11 year was $24.9 million, up 2.1 percent on the previous year's result. Container volumes rose to 27,015, up 3.1 percent, to a new record high of 894,383teu. The port's container division recorded 5.9 percent growth in full-import containers. Break bulk (non-containerised) cargo volumes were up 24 percent to 3.5 million tonnes, reflecting an 11.4 percent increase in motor vehicle volumes and a 36 percent increase in other commodities.
The results reflected the improving New Zealand economy and a strong dollar, said the chief executive, Tony Gibson.
Container volumes would have been higher had a number of "out-of-window" ships not
bypassed Auckland due to scheduling clashes. Total ship calls finished the year 13 higher than the prior year.
The cruise business continued to boom, with 79 calls over the financial year and a record high of 97 booked for the upcoming 2011/12 season, with extra business generated by the Rugby World Cup.
Gibson said the cruise-handling facilities at
Princes Wharf were operating near capacity, with more than 200,000 passengers and 65,000 crew expected over the next season. "We are working closely with Waterfront Auckland on the development of Queens Wharf into the city's premier cruise terminal and a long-term cruise strategy for the region."
PROVEDORES WIN SERVICE AWARD
WESTERN UNION AGENT Aorangi Provedores, located at the Timaru Seafarers Centre, won the annual Western Union® & You Top Gun service excellence programme at an award function on August 5. Aorangi Provedores processed the most transactions through the Western Union Gold Card within the programme period, beating 65 other agent locations in New Zealand. "We have crews in from the Philippines, China, Indonesia, India, Japan, Kiribati, South Korea, Eastern Europe and Russia. Being able to rely on us to transfer money in minutes via Western Union at the
LEFT TO RIGHT: Trish Blunden, Tasko Alcevski and John Blunden
Seafarers' Centre is really important, given their limited time ashore," said the owner of Aorangi Provedores, John Blunden.
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