An interesting week at Port Chalmers with a visit from Stellar Eagle, the largest ship to load logs, and a record cruise ship season ending with visits from Pacific Pearl yesterday, and consort Pacific Dawn today.
Although they are of different designs, these two Carnival group vessels have more than one thing in common. Both are operated by P&O Cruises Australia. But from an historical perspective, and visible on their sterns, is their port of registry, London, one that is seldom noticed here these days. Over the years, London was the home port for thousands of vessels of all types and sizes.
The New Zealand trade, and this port, was serviced by a variety of them, cargo liners, passenger vessels, tramps and tankers.
They also marked the evolution of these vessels from earlier steam and diesel designs to the modern, faster and more sophisticated types of the mid-20th century. The last of these were all disposed of in the 1970s and '80s following the growing world-wide move into container shipping services.
Looking back, one thinks of London-registered cargo ships that used to call here. Well-known were units from the Australind, Avenue, Blue Star, British India, China Navigation, Ellerman, Federal, Hain, Houlder, New Zealand Shipping, P&O, and Port Line companies.
Vessels from other smaller tramp owners came our way from time to time, as did tankers from the once-large BP/British Tanker Company and Shell fleets, plus others that carried the Caltex or Stanvac/Mobil colours.
The first and second generation container ships that entered service from 1969-78 in the ACT and OCL fleets were also registered there. All had been phased out by 2002.
Among the 10 replacements for them in a round-the-world service were three 4132teu sister ships, Contships, Aurora, Australis and Borealis, which showed London as the port of registry. They were latter absorbed into the Maersk fleet.
When Contship Aurora, subsequently renamed Maersk Dexter, called here on August 31, 2007, it closed an impressive chapter in a lengthy list of London-registered cargo vessels that often had interesting local links.
While they often carry bulk cargoes, the log ships that call here differ from other bulk carriers in that they have provision for stowing cargo on deck, hence the term bulk/lumber carrier. And occasionally a bulk carrier like Stellar Eagle turns up to load logs.
This vessel is a Future 56 design bulk carrier, a type produced by IHI Marine United Inc. The class was introduced here when sister ships Effy N and Fanoula visited Ravensbourne in November 2009, and last December, respectively.
Stellar Eagle is a 31,532gt, 55,589dwt vessel having an overall length of 190.00m. Of interest was the vessel's departure from Port Chalmers, exactly two years after it had been completed at Yokohama on March 29, 2009. Owned by Stellar Eagle Shipping LLC, of New York, the vessel sails under the flag of the Marshall Islands.
Last month, the ship claimed to be the largest bulk/lumber carrier to visit New Zealand, loaded logs at Gisborne and Whangarei. Classed as such by Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, the vessel is the 30,018gt, 53,206dwt, 189.94m long U-Sea Tradition. Bought by Pedregal Maritime S.A. of Panama last November, it was built by the Iwagi Shipbuilding Company and delivered as Sibulk Tradition in April, 2008.
