Beriks is a small 54.23m-long, 602gt cargo vessel that has only carried this name since it was completed on June 29, 1973, by the Yaroslavskiy yard at Yaroslavl, Russia.
Forty years ago yesterday, the export log trade from the Beach St berth at Port Chalmers was inaugurated when Kyoto Maru departed for Japan.
Twelve months ago, time was slowly ticking away for the ocean-going career of the iconic passenger liner (cum cruise ship) Queen Elizabeth 2.
The arrivals of African Joy last week and Sunny Royal and Captain T due this week, all to load logs, have special interest.
There are always good reasons behind shipowners' choices of names for their vessels.
In a recently published overseas report, just under 1400 vessels, about 9% of the global fleet of container ships, bulk carriers, tankers, refrigerated cargo ships and car carriers, are inactive in locations throughout the world.
Since 1863, Auckland has been a source of names for more than 40 vessels ranging from sailing ship days to present day services.
While another vessel introduced to the Mediterranean Shipping Company's Europe-Capricorn service made its inaugural visit to Port Chalmers last week, two earlier visitors on this run have been sold for demolition.
In a few months' time, it will be 35 years since Moanui displayed the colours of the Northern Steam Ship Company Ltd here for the last time.
Reference to the start of the six-day Egypt-Israeli war in the "Today in History" column of last Friday's ODT, brings back memories of two refrigerated motor cargo liners that used to call here.
In port for the first time last week, MSC Tasmania is one of four sister ships that have appeared here on the Europe-Capricorn service since last December.
It may not be noticeable here as the global economic recession has not impacted upon the number of local visits by container ships servicing Port Chalmers.
Fenwick Shipping Services Ltd of Hong Kong, is a company that operates smaller type bulk carriers.
Yesterday was the anniversary of the delivery of the last motor, passenger-cargo liner to be built for the New Zealand Shipping Company's United Kingdom New Zealand trade.
Go back to the days of conventional shipping and vessels owned by liner companies operating in the New Zealand trades.
As mentioned last week, MSC Palermo, completed in February 1992, was among the last ships to be built at the Vegesack, Bremen, yard of Bremer Vulkan AG Schiffbau u. Maschinenfabrik, to give the company its full title.
It is just over three years since the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) made its debut here on March 7, 2006.
A very successful cruise ship season, which began when Dawn Princess berthed on October 22, 2008, comes to an end when Millennium makes its eleventh visit tomorrow.
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.
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.