The arrivals of African Joy last week and Sunny Royal and Captain T due this week, all to load logs, have special interest.
For when the latter vessel departs, 503 part or full shipments of logs, will have left this harbour in the past 50 years. The first of these shipments was loaded at Dunedin for Japan by Marie Bakke, a veteran 4307gt Norwegian motor ship dating from 1926.
The ship was in port from July 13-25, 1959.
A second shipment followed when Celebes Maru visited on August 8, 1959.
The only other loading at Dunedin was by Regent Marigold, which berthed on February 18, 1974.
The first taste of things to come at Port Chalmers was when Shinsho Maru was berthed at the George St wharf from January 25-31, 1962.
This ship loaded logs milled from the then borough council's plantation at Cedar Farm.
The export trade was inaugurated when the Sankyo Line's 4524gt Kyoto Maru berthed on July 29, 1969, for a five-day stay. The Japanese market was the mainstay of the trade until July 1978, when May Breeze arrived to load the first shipment for China.
A month later, Pacific Royal uplifted the first consignment for South Korea, and, in August 1989, the first shipment for the Philippines was loaded by Clipper Marigaya.
Altogether, 334 vessels, including 20 that have called under two names, have been involved with this trade since July 1959.
While the Japanese are less involved these days, the Japanese shipbuilding industry has remained dominant.
Yards in Japan account for 291 of the vessels, followed by 22 from China and 16 from South Korea.
Three others were built in the Philippines, while Marie Bakke came from Denmark, and Calanda from Argentina.
The ships represent 19 national flags.
Heading this list are 102 registered at Panama, 51 in Liberia, Japan (32), Philippines (30), Hong Kong (27) and South Korea (23).
Several these ships are also registered offshore in Panama by South Korean and Japanese interests, with the latter also favouring Vanuatu.
Other log ships have also introduced four national flags here for the first time.
In December 1987, Kiwi Hope (Vanuatu), Menina C (Myanmar) in March 1992, Selendang Kasa (Malaysia), November 1998 and, a month later, Samsun Unity (St Vincent and the Grenadines).
Registered at Hong Kong to the ownership of African Joy Shipping Ltd since last year, African Joy is another 15,932gt, Imabari-built vessel.
The ship entered service in February 1996 as Super Rubin, then traded as Super Ace from 2005-08.
Sunny Royal, owned by CS Sunny SA and registered at Panama, is a standard design 17,433gt vessel delivered from the Kanda yard at Kawajiri in November 2000.
Tsangaris Bros of Piraeus have owned Captain T since 2007 and operate it under the ownership of Marmaro Maritime Ltd and the Marshall Islands flag.
The 18,070gt vessel is one of eight similar local visitors built by the Hudong shipyard at Shanghai.
Ordered by the Wah Kwong group of Hong Kong, the ship entered service in December 1996.
As their Carina Venture, it loaded logs here in August 2000. In 2004, the ship joined the Pacific Basin group's fleet and for the next three years served as Port Pirie.
This name brings back memories of the 10,535gt cargo liner of that name built for the Port Line Ltd in 1947.
The ship made 17 calls here from July 25, 1950, to April 7, 1972.
