On the waterfront

On Sunday, Sea Princess returns to begin another busier, cruise ship season.

First-time visitor Luzon Strait, which loaded logs at Dunedin and Port Chalmers last week, ushered in the 54th year of the export log trade through this port.

It must go on record as being the smallest number of containers handled at Port Chalmers.

Only three containers were unloaded from BBC Volga during the vessel's brief visit to the Beach St berth last Saturday.

This newcomer is on a voyage from Matarani, Peru, to Port Kembla.

Recently, after an absence of more than eight years, the container ship Aquitania made its fourth visit since being added to Maersk's Tanjung Pelepas run.

In port last week, to discharge phosphate at Dunedin and then Ravensbourne, was brand-new Maple Amethyst.

Despite being held on a wet English summer day, an event at Southampton earlier this month has been described as grand and memorable.

Having mentioned last week that the container ship Zrin, here on April 5, 2008, is fulfilling a new role as the livestock carrier Nada, its only sister ship to call here arrived at Alang, India, on May 10, and was beached for demolition 11 days later.

They just seem to keep on coming, vessels built in Chinese shipyards in recent years. Latest to arrive for the first time last week, to load logs at Beach St, was Vega Mars. Sister ship Vega Venus berthed at Dunedin a year ago next Saturday to load scrap metal for Indonesia.

Another interesting assortment of newcomers started last week with the arrival of the Italian-built container ship MSC Rafaela. But this week the focus is on four vessels built in China.

It was a scene never to be repeated at the George St wharf, Port Chalmers, 60 ago this Wednesday (Anzac Day, 1952).