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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TM EDITORIAL Servicing the maritime industry since 1996 Incorporating New Zealand Workboats, NZ Professional Skipper & Oceans ISSN 1176-3078 ISSN 1176-8665 is published by: VIP Publications, 4 Prince Regent Drive, Half Moon Bay, Auckland 2012 Ph 09 533 4336 Fax 09 533 4337 Email keith@skipper.co.nz advertising@skipper.co.nz website: www.skipper.co.nz Editor: Keith Ingram Manager: Vivienne Ingram Editorial assistant: Mark Barratt-Boyes Contributors: Baden Pascoe Carol Forsyth Michael Pignéguy Hugh Ware, USA Kelvin Hieatt Stuart Cawker Lindsay Wright Alan Moore R. Lea Clough Lynton Diggle Trevor Coppock Hayley Campbell Louise Deehan-Owen Rod McCullum Bob McDavitt Rodger Grayson Dave Wooff Jo Bascombe Justine Inns Advertising: Designer: Printers: Distribution: Hamish Stewart Rachel Walker GEON Gordon and Gotch Ltd Subscriptions: Professional Skipper is published for the maritime transport industry. It is available on subscription in NZ and overseas. General: Reproduction of articles and materials published in Professional Skipper in whole or part, is permitted provided the source and author(s) are acknowledged. However, all photographic material is copyright and written permission to reproduce in any shape or form is required. Contributions of a nature relevant to the maritime transport industry are welcomed and industry participants are especially encouraged to contribute. Letters to the Editor should be signed and carry the writer's full name and address. Articles and information printed in Professional Skipper do not necessarily reflect the opinions or formal position or the publishers unless otherwise indicated. Material and information of a formal nature provided by the MSA, MoF or TAIC is identified by the use of their logo. All material published in Professional Skipper is done so with all due care as regards to accuracy and factual content. The publishers and editorial staff however cannot accept responsibility for any inadvertent errors and omissions which may occur. Professional Skipper is produced bi-monthly. Finalist 2008 Qantas Media Awards JUDGED HIGHLY COMMENDED EDITOR OF THE YEAR – MPA AWARDS 2009 A The good, the bad and the ugly nother year has been lost as we record the fishing opportunities that went begging in our West Coast sportfishing tuna fishery as the season draws to a close. These lost opportunities rest with Maritime New Zealand's inability to resolve some longstanding industry concerns regarding manning qualifications in the coastal limit and beyond. Or, as some operators suggest, maybe it's just too hard or we no longer have competent staff who are able to deal with key industry issues like this. Either way, our charter boat industry and the small West Coast ports are losing potential income at a time of year when things are quiet. This year a smaller number of boats turned up, but skippers who did reported excellent fishing with fair, offshore breezes most of the time. It was heartening to hear comments from some participants who reported a positive interaction with Sealord's FV Rehua, which was the closest, as she was working nor'west of Westport at the time. To ensure small sportfishing vessels did not impede his trawling and hauling, the skipper, Peter Connolly and mate Steve would call up the masters of the charter boats, requesting they stand clear while he was trawling and advising them what time they would be hauling the gear. To reward good behaviour from the boats for not cutting across his bows or getting close to the wires, once the net was on the surface and half up the ramp, they allowed a little time for the boats to move in and target the tuna flashing below. As they hooked up and withdrew out of the way, many good fish were landed or lost, resulting in happy fishermen. This benefitted the factory ship managing the vessels and reduced gear loss for the sportfishermen by removing the risk of fouling the gear or leaving hooks imbedded in the net by over-anxious fishers. It also reduced the time required for close-quarters interaction with the factory vessel, making for a more efficient hook-up process for the charter vessels. At the end of the day, this must result in better safety for both the crew of the factory ship and the sportfishermen. For this we acknowledge the master and mate of the Rehua for their positive actions, resulting in a safe interaction experience for all. Perhaps these lessons might spread to the masters of the rest of the deepwater fleet working these waters at this important time of the year. The latest fishing year has closed, with many fishermen now trying to balance their annual catch entitlement portfolios. It is a sad indictment of our management system when a young New Zealand family who own and operate a commercial boat now find themselves in dept up to their necks. they held no ACE for, thinking they would be able to get the ACE and balance the books. A total of 4.5 tonnes doesn't seem a lot in the big scheme of things, relating to some $54,000 in deemed value. The problem is they cannot get hold of ling ACE. Any that is around and available, the quota owners have raised the ACE price to match the deemed value, so it's a case of pay us or pay the government. The sad part is over 12,000 tonnes is being caught by the FCVs and any over-catch disappears through the meal plants or may be dumped. A responsible Kiwi fishing family is being penalised by the quota owners for being honest and doing the right thing by landing the catch when it could have been quietly dumped at night. Will this behavior by the fishing lords encourage fishermen to be honest and do the right thing in the future? I think not. As we go to press, we are mindful of the stricken container ship Rena lying firmly attached by the bow to Astrolabe Reef in the Bay of Plenty. She was less than 45 minutes from the pilot station, so either the old man or someone in the bridge management team cocked up big time. The top of the reef prominently marked on the chart is about 50m off the starboard bow. It dries to about the size of a container. The area of the reef where she went up at 17 knots is less than 10m at datum. That's about the size of two football fields. It took less than half the ship's length, or only about 100m, to bring her to a grinding halt. So you can imagine the damage below. With some two million litres of heavy fuel oil on board now starting to spill from breeched tanks we are going to see a mess. Remember, this is an old ship with 1386 containers on board. She is starting to settle as the double bottoms collapse and the bulkheads give way. Meanwhile, the nearest equipment and barges capable of removing the cargo and attempting a salvage is a week away in Australia or Singapore at best. With a nor'easterly blow forecast, watch how quickly things will change, in which case she will become a feature of the reef for the foreseeable future. And if she breaks up – that change will be permanent. Either way, we have a very expensive mess to clean up, which is all the more reason why these foreign ships must continue to pay the price of high Maritime New Zealand levies, because they pose the greatest risk to our coastal environment. Finally, the winner of the Altex Watch at the Boat Show, was Bill Penney. The problem came about when they were fishing on the southern coast. Try as they might, they could not get away from ling when fishing their target species. The upshot was they brought in a tonne here and there over the few short weeks of catching the target fish Keith Ingram, Editor