For the past 55 years, conventional cargo ships and later container ships operated or owned by major Japanese companies in the Japan-New Zealand liner trade have been all products of the Japanese shipbuilding industry.
But already this month, two first-time callers have broken away from this tradition.
A fortnight ago, the replacement for NYK's Hakone appeared here in the form of the South Korean-built, Singapore flag ACX Diamond.
This chartered vessel was also displaying the funnel markings of the Samudera interests of Jakarta.
And yesterday it was the turn of the German-owned, Polish-built JPO Leo to visit in place of the recently retired MOL Wellington.
JPO Leo, at 35,881gt, is the largest Polish-built ship to have called here.
The 41,713dwt, 220.29m long vessel has a container capacity of 3091 TEU and a service speed of 22.30 knots.
Built at Szczecin by Stocznia Szczezinska Porta S.
A, it was the 13th vessel of the B178-1 container ship design to be built.
The ship was laid down on December 20, 2004, launched on April 23, 2005, and delivered on July 20, 2005.
The ship entered service under the name MOL Renaissance on charter to Mitsui-OSK Lines, and was employed in their Mediterranean service until a year ago.
It then served on charter in the Hyundai Merchant Marine fleet of Seoul as Hyundai Renaissance until earlier this month.
Now it is back on charter to M-OSK Lines.
Perhaps it may revert to its original trading name, which would bring it into line with other container vessels operated by the Japanese company.
The ship is registered in Liberia. Another older unit of this fleet seen here in recent times is the 25,359gt, 1998-built Ute Oltmann.
This vessel, employed on Hapag-Lloyd's Suez loop service, has made 10 calls here, from May 5, 2005, to December 31, 2008.
JPO Leo took over the service from MOL Wellington after this vessel arrived at Shanghai on March 10.
This veteran, a very familiar sight in this harbour, will end its days in the hands of shipbreakers at Alang.
Built and engined at Mitsui's Tamano yard the 31.767gt (originally 32,163gt), 1712TEU vessel was built as Canberra Maru for M-OSK's Australian service.
In 1987 the ship was renamed Wellington Maru, when transferred to the New Zealand service as a replacement for the 1969-built Australia Maru.
The ship then made 76 visits to Port Chalmers from July 7, 1987, to July 15, 2001.
However, it was absent from this harbour from June, 1996, to December, 2000, a period during which the owners had withdrawn their service to Port Chalmers.
By the time the ship made its next local appearance on October 10,2001, it was trading under the name MOL Wellington.
The ship was transferred from the Japanese to Panamanian register in 2002.
A few weeks ago, on February 15, this well-known visitor made its 60th and final call here under that name.
