Due yesterday, newcomer ACX Diamond, the vessel that has replaced Hakone in NYK's Japan-New Zealand service, only entered the water when it was launched a year ago tomorrow.
Registered at Singapore to the ownership of Carna Shipping (Pte) Ltd, the ship is managed by NYK Shipmanagement (Pte) Ltd, also of Singapore.
Ordered from the STX Shipbuilding Company on July 1, 2005, it was laid down on January 10, 2008, and delivered on May 6.
Designed to operate at a service speed of 20 knots, ACX Diamond has an overall length of 222.60m, a breadth of 30.00m and a loaded draught of 12.018m.
The 35,309gt Hakone, built at Kobe in 1983, made its 68th and final visit to Port Chalmers on February 1.
It was withdrawn from this service after arriving at Hong Kong at the end of last month.
So far there are no reports on its future.
Meanwhile Mitsui-OSK's older 31,767gt MOL Wellington, which has a much longer association with this harbour, is to be scrapped, after it is withdrawn from the same route next month.
The 1979-built veteran has been sold to shipbreakers at Alang for $US 3.9 million ($US 270 per tonne on its light displacement of 14,343 tonnes).
This is reported to be a significant sale, for it is the first MOL ship to be sent to Alang by MOL, which has always scrapped its vessels in China because of its concerns over safe demolition.
Recently, there has been a steady stream of vessels of all types heading for ship graveyards in Bangladesh, Pakistan and India.
India has been picking up quite a number of these vessels for demolition at Alang.
Another of these demolition candidates that has been seen here is the cruise ship Maxim Gorkiy.
The vessel which visited Port Chalmers on February 19,1990, and again on March 5, 2003, was beached at Alang on February 26.
One of the last remaining veteran, steam turbine passenger ships in existence, the 24,220gt ship had berths for 650 passengers in 324 cabins.
The ship was built by the Hamburg yard of Howaldswerke-Deutsche Werft for the Deutsche Atlantik Line of Hamburg. Launched as Hamburg on February 21, 1968, it started its maiden voyage to New York on March 28, 1969.
Also used for cruising, the ship was renamed Hanseatic by these owners in 1973.
The following year the ship was sold to the Black Sea Shipping Company of Odessa.
Renamed Maksim Gorkiy, it then spent a long period of idleness until 1988.
Following the break-up of the Soviet Union, the vessel was transferred to the flag of the Bahamas and renamed Maxim Gorkiy in 1992 under the ownership of the Maxim Gorkiy Shipping Company.
Since then, it has spent most of its time on long-term charter to Phoenix Seereisen of Bonn, a cruise ship operator represented here last month by Amadea.
On August 20, 2008, Maxim Gorkiy was sold to Orient Lines, who had intended operating the vessel from next month under the name Marco Polo.
