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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WATERFRONT BUSINESS In brief… PHOTO COURTESY KEELY BLANCH TSS EARNSLAW STAMP NEW ZEALAND POST has issued a special stamp commemorating the TSS Earnslaw's 100th birthday on October 18, 2012, highlighting her role as a passenger and freight steamship on Lake Wakatipu over the past century. Real Journeys Director Historic South Island steamship to be scrapped The historic 102 year old steamship Te Whaka will be scrapped by its new owners, a Dunedin scrap metal recycling business. Te Whaka was designed as Lyttelton's harbour dredge, built in Glasgow in 1910, and decommissioned in 1987 after 77-years' service at the port. The Te Whaka Maritime Heritage Trust brought her to Dunedin in 1994 and had hoped to return her to full working life as a 120 passenger vessel based in Steamer Basin. In 1998 the Dunedin City Council made a one off grant of $50,000 to keep the project alive but in 2008 the trust sold the by then very run down vessel to Auckland based Clevedon Steamship Company. Port Otago commercial manager Peter Brown confirmed that the port company is the owner of the vessel Neptune, currently at the Kitchener St wharf, which was severely damaged in a fire at Careys Bay earlier this year. "We are considering all options," he said. Former Navy ship relaunch disaster The former New Zealand Navy patrol ship Kahu was relaunched at Port Taranaki after a major refit, having struggled with a lack of water in her first attempt at the Port Taranaki boatramp on August 2. The 37m vessel has been refitted as a luxury ocean going ship by Fitzroy Yachts. The Port Taranaki boatramp's rails were extended two metres and the forward cradle had been left in place, but there was 300 millimetres less water than expected and even with two tugs accelerating at full throttle the 140 tonne ship remained aground until the following tide, when it was successfully launched, ready for sea trials. Tony McQuilkin said the commemorative stamp recognises the Lady of the Lake's significant contribution to maritime history in New Zealand. "We have also produced a centenary postcard featuring the TSS Earnslaw and cards and other mail will be franked to indicate that it has been posted on board. We think this postmark will have a lot of appeal for visitors to Queenstown and it is something extra to heighten the awareness of the TSS Earnslaw and her grand old age." The $1.90 stamp is part of an issue known as The Great Voyages of New Zealand and will be available in early September. New Zealand Post Sales and Marketing Manager of Stamps Simon Allison said "as a small nation surrounded by water, ships and vessels have no doubt played an important part in our history. Each of the vessels has a unique story to tell and we're delighted to pay tribute to them in our latest stamp issue." Sea lion research shows squid fishing not responsible for deaths DEEPWATER GROUP CHIEF executive George Clement has welcomed the Minister for Primary Industries, David Carter's statement, recognising that squid fishing is not responsible for the sea lion population decline. He says the seafood industry fully backs management measures in the squid fishery to protect sea lions from harm and the research that protects an important part of New Zealand's unique biodiversity in the Southern Ocean. Clement said broader environmental, probably non-human, drivers are at play that need to be understood, and that the industry's work in the refining of SLED's has enabled the Government to say that no sea lions have been accidently captured in this fishery in the past two seasons. The seafood industry has contributed millions of dollars to Department of Conservation and other independent research including measuring and assessing the environmental effects of fishing, minimising impacts, and independently monitoring and auditing fisheries' performance. CHINESE SHIPYARDS REGISTER 49 PERCENT PLUNGE CHINA'S 1536 CHINESE shipyards with annual sales of more than five million yuan (NZ$987,000), have registered a 49 percent plunge in orders for the first half of 2012. Shipbuilding and shipping capacity surged in China because of speculation fuelled by demand for raw materials and government low-cost finance for new vessels, which contributed to a global surge in orders from about 2007 including dry-bulk ships used to haul iron ore and coal. These vessels and cooling demand are now hammering charter rates. The benchmark Baltic 44 Professional Skipper November/December 2012 Dry Index has dropped 26 percent in the past year to 958 at the end of July after reaching a high of 11,793 in May 2008. Among capesize ships, the largest vessels tracked by the index, the global fleet has about doubled in five years to 1464 at the start of July and three-year charter rates have tumbled to around US$12,000 a day from about $55,000 five years ago. The slump has caused orders for new capesize ships to plunge. Worldwide, 12 capesizes were ordered in the first half, compared with 71 for the whole of 2011.