And although it can transport bulk cargoes, Lloyds Register of Shipping, with which it is classed, records it as a general cargo ship.
However, the ship's owners are more specific and describe it as a multi-purpose vessel fitted with retractable tween-decks, operated hydraulically.
The ship is one of six Roymar-class vessels ordered by the TBS International Ltd group from the Nantong Yahua Shipbuilding Company.
The third of the class to be built, it was laid down on December 1, 2008, launched on November 11, 2009 and delivered on September 2, last year.
As a point of interest, the TBS fleet numbered 50 vessels totalling 1.51 million dwt with the completion a few weeks ago of Omaha Belle, the fourth of the class.
These 50 vessels, some with specialised heavy-lift gear, range from 8492dwt to 45,520dwt.
Twenty-eight are tween-deckers and the rest handymax/handysize bulk carriers that TBS employs in liner, parcel and bulk services.
All are registered at Manila, and their multiple names include either the suffix Belle, Maiden or Princess.
Montauk Maiden is a vessel of 22,946gt and 34,022dwt.
The ship has an overall length of 182.90m, an extreme breadth of 28.45m and a loaded draught of 10.00m The six-cylinder, MAN-B&W propulsion unit with a rating of 12,889bhp, supplied by South Korea's STX Engine Company, gives a service speed of 15 knots.
Bulk carriers and log ships that frequent this harbour normally have five holds, served by four cranes.
Montauk Maiden also has five holds,but is equipped with five cranes, three with a Safe Working Load of 35 tonnes, and two with a SWL of 40 tonnes.
The vessel also has a container capacity of 960teu, 226 in the holds and the rest on deck.
After discharging cargo, the vessel moved up to Dunedin to load phosphate for Australia.
Montauk Maiden is owned by the Dorchester Maritime Corporation of the Marshall Islands.
It is managed by Roymar Ship Management Inc, and operated by TBS Shipping Service Inc, both of New York.
The parent company, TBS International Ltd, is now located in Bermuda.
Many of the cruise ships that have visited Port Chalmers in recent years are regular visitors. But not so well-known are Seven Seas Voyager, here last week, and Crystal Serenity and Deutschland, both at the weekend.
Making its third visit the 42,363gt, 769-berth Seven Seas Voyager was built by the Visentini yard at Donada, but completed at Genoa by T.
Mariotti SpA in February, 2003.
It was built for the Radisson Cruise Line, now Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
Also on its third visit the 68,870gt, 1140-berth Crystal Serenity was built at St Nazaire and entered service with the Crystal Cruise Line, part of Japan's NYK group, in June, 2003.
Like Seven Seas Voyager, it is registered in the Bahamas.
Here only once before, on January 31, 2004, the German-flag Deutschland is a smaller 22,496gt vessel with berths for 576 passengers.
Completed in May 1998, by Howaldstwerke-Deutsche Werft, at Kiel, it has spent its entire career owned by Peter Dellmann Reederei of Neustadt/Holstein.
