The year 2010 was an interesting one. Compared with 50 years ago, when most of our overseas import and export trades were handled by cargo liners flying the British flag, they are now the domain of foreign-owned interests.
Seldom seen here now, the British flag last year was restricted to calls from the cruise ships Pacific Dawn, Pacific Jewel (two visits each) and Saga Ruby (one).
Incidentally, there were 51 visits to Port Chalmers, and eight to Dunedin, by cruise ships last year.
Of the 197 calls by 41 container ships last year, 50 were made by 19 Liberian-flag, chartered vessels, of which 18 were controlled by German interests.
German companies also owned a further six of these vessels registered in Antigua and Barbuda, or Cyprus.
Also sailing under this flag and owned in Germany were the log ships Albert, Cathrin, Lucas Oldendorff and Voge Renate.
This vessel, on its first visit for logs back in June, 2000, as Joint Bright , was the first Philippines-built ship to call here.
And it was an interesting and busy year for the export log trade, with Dunedin hosting 11 visits.
Three of these were from vessels that had discharged at Ravensbourne, five loaded at Dunedin before moving down to Port Chalmers and three others only visited Dunedin.
Among them in November, was Venta, the first Lithuanian-flag visitor to this harbour.
Including those that moved down from Dunedin to completing loading, Port Chalmers had a record 38 visits from log ships.
Panama was represented here by the largest number of individual vessels, 20 from the bulk or logs sectors, eight box-ships, four tankers and three discharging lpg.
Of other registers there were 14 bulk/lumber carriers and four container ships registered at Hong Kong register.
There was also an increase of visitors registered in the Marshall Islands register, of five log ships, one cruise ship, a container ship and one lpg carrier.
The departure of Maersk Denton, on October 13, ended the reign of the seven 4112teu, Offen-owned vessels, introduced to the New Zealand trade in 2002.
The ones retained for the Tanjung Pelepas service were gradually replaced from July by four 4132teu sister ships from the Oltmann group.
One of these, Maersk Duncan, was later renamed Bunga Raya Dua Belas.
But what was an interesting year for local shipping, was marred by the loss of the South Korean trawler Oyang 70.
The vessel left Dunedin on August 14, and sank four days later when about 400 nautical miles east of Dunedin, and with the loss of six members of its crew of 51.
Now a correction to ''Images From Our Past'' which appeared in the Boxing Day issue of the ODT.
Ellaroo was actually the last ship to load scrap in New Zealand before an embargo stopping it from being exported came into force.
However, the two ships in the illustration are the Shaw, Savill-chartered Bardic, which berthed on December 28 and was joined the following day by the Union Company's Kaitoke.
Ellaroo also berthed on December 28, and departed for Lyttelton on January 6, 1961, on its final voyage.
A coal-burning steamer for its entire life, the 4747gt vessel was built by the
J.L. Thompson yard in Sunderland.
The ship was completed in April, 1921, as the Norwegian-owned Aslaug Haaland.
It was later sold to the Melbourne Steam Ship Company and was registered there as Ellaroo in 1922.
They employed the vessel carrying coal and later ore on coastal voyages.
In September, 1959, the ship passed to Scott Fell Shipping, also of Melbourne.
And shortly before it called here they sold it to the Hai An Shipping Company of Hong Kong.
After making its last voyage, to Japan with scrap, Ellaroo was also cut up for scrap.
