Photo by Stephen Jaquiery.
They are (from left) Maple Fortitude, berthed beside T/U sheds and headed for Napier next, Astrid, berthed at the lpg terminal and next headed to New Plymouth, Torea, at the oil jetty, going to Marsden Point refinery, and Benete Bay, at Leith wharf for logs then making for PrimePort Timaru.
The ships were due to have departed by 5pm yesterday, all requiring separate pilots from Port Otago to beyond the heads and all but Astrid requiring one or two tugs. A combination of tug availability and tidal restrictions meant their respective departures were staggered from about 1pm to 5pm. Their departures were followed by the cruise ship Voyager of the Seas, which was due to leave Port Chalmers about 6pm for Wellington.
