Portsider-November-2018

Celebrating Success

Changing Gears

The Port recently held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Shareholders at the Island Harbour, Bluff.

It was pleasing to discuss with our shareholders a record profit of $9.66M (2017 $8.45M) and cargo throughput of 3.44M (2017 3.05M). These types of results do not happen without the excellent support of our importers, exporters, shipping company partners, employees and all the other parties that interact with the cargo as it moves along the supply chain. What is even more pleasing is the commitment from all parties operating on the port environment to handle these volumes in a safe and efficient manner – a big thank you to all involved.

In September the Board and Leadership team ran a strategy session facilitated by an external consultant. At the AGM our Chairman, Rex Chapman, stated that it was an “in-depth review of the Company’s existing strategy and identified the need to ensure that our strategic focus is clearly understood and aligned to the objectives set for the business.”

Although we are in the early stages of

South Port’s Port General Manager, Geoff Finnerty (pictured centre), recently completed the Leaders’ for the Future Programme offered by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT).

The Leaders’ for the Future Programme provides international leadership training in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The purpose of the programme (which is a ten day programme completed over a four month period) is to provide individuals with opportunities to build leadership capabilities through their own personal development and by learning from the experiences of others. It also challenges participants to confront the issues the sector encounters and learn how to lead the way in a new and rapidly changing environment.

Geoff Finnerty said, “I enjoyed the opportunity to participate and complete the CILT Programme. I am always looking for opportunities to add new tools to my leadership toolbox and this programme certainly does that. It reconfirmed some of the things I currently do and challenged me to think a bit differently on others, your leadership journey never ends.”

Last year Chief Executive, Nigel Gear, graduated from the programme alongside a number of freight and logistic leaders from around the country. He also thought the programme was of great benefit. Nigel reflected that, “During this time I was able to explore my leadership style and the programme provided me with the tools to improve and grow. One of the aspects that I thoroughly enjoyed was meeting leaders within industry that shared their own stories of development, the good and the bad, which gave excellent perspective on our own situations.”

working through this material, what we can share is that there were some very clear themes that developed:

• To clearly identify the Company’s purpose, values and strategic focus;

• The requirement for a fit for purpose and resilient infrastructural base;

• To keep our people safe and engaged in a shared vision for the Company;

• To be guardians of the environment;

• To be engaged with the community; and

• To aspire to be, or to facilitate, optimal logistics solutions for the region.

The Chairman also noted that “meeting all of these objectives will give us a social licence to operate so that we continue to add value for our shareholders”.

To read the press release from the AGM please go to our website at https:// southport.co.nz/about-us-and-ourpeople/investors-centre/media-releases

We look forward to sharing more of this information with stakeholders at the timing of the interim result and in more depth in the 2019 Annual Report.

South Port Container Manager, Hayden Mikkelsen (pictured left) and Business Development Manager, Jamie May, were also in attendance to support Geoff and congratulate him on his achievement.

The graduation and awards evening was held in Christchurch during October.

South Port NZ

SOUTH PORT’S PEOPLE

Felicity Soper

Felicity Soper has joined the Business Development team filling the vacant Business Improvement and Marketing Support role.

Graduating with a Bachelor of Science from Otago University majoring in Statistics with minors in Mathematics and Economics, she relocated to Auckland to work for Dentus Aegis, a global communications agency specialising in media, digital and creative communications.

After 12 months working in the city of sails, Felicity decided to move back to her home town of Invercargill, studying towards a Graduate Diploma in Accounting at the Southern Institute of Technology.

Felicity’s interests outside of work include swimming and she is a former competitive swimmer and lifeguard. Her community service includes volunteer work assisting children with special needs which she hopes to continue with in the future.

Recently she has welcomed ‘Winston’ (Border Collie) to the family, who she is very proud of having graduated from puppy school last month!

IN THE COMMUNITY

Bluff Netball Club

The Bluff Netball Club received sponsorship from South Port for the first time this season. Consisting of around 50 people, including coaches, this year three of the four teams made it through to the finals. The Club is in great heart, continually growing, welcoming new players and the addition of a whole new team in 2018.

With each new season, the Club faces ongoing costs and the demand for replacement of gear. The sponsorship South Port provided assisted with new hoodies, training singlets and t-shirts for everyone in the Club. Club President and South Port Marine Administrator, Katie Eaton, said “it makes a huge difference when we are supported by a business like South Port, even better that a local business is supporting a local hard working wee Club like ours.”

Stewart Island Clean-Up

The South Coast Charitable Trust held the Stewart Island Clean-Up during July with South Port contributing financial support towards this excellent initiative. More than 30 people were involved, many from Stewart Island, but others coming from as far away as Auckland. Tracker Black, (local Bluff identity) who participated in the clean-up, provided some commentary about the trip to the Portsider. “After arriving in Halfmoon Bay, the volunteers were flown to various hut locations around Stewart Island. Working in groups of four, the teams filled large bags with rubbish, which helicopters then transported to the Foveaux Freighter. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t great with winds rising to 50 knots and turning to thunder and lightning on the first day of the clean-up, and people even having to take shelter. The remaining days provided better weather, even allowing for a scenic tour. At the end of the clean-up, the volunteers headed back to Bluff, bringing with them over 16 tonnes of rubbish they had collected off Stewart Island.”

South Port is pleased they could be of assistance and extends a thank you and well done to the clean-up team.

BLUFF FOCUS ON CRUISING TO ANTARCTICA

Antarctic adventurers heading ashore from the Spirit of Enderby.

As New Zealand’s maritime gateway to Antarctica we are quite accustomed to seeing expedition type cruise ships coming and going on their Antarctic voyages, especially those sailing for Heritage Expeditions (see page 8). Those who sail south to the southernmost continent invariably return enthused at the sights they have seen and the adventures experienced in Antarctica and the Subantarctic Islands visited en route. We will let the pictures tell the story.

► vSpirit

©Heritage Expeditions

Antarctic

AROUND THE PORT

Watch House

Originally located at the Bluff end of the Island Harbour access bridge the watch house was relocated to the northern end in the early 2000’s in order to meet updated port security regulations. Recently, a new structure was built off site to replace the old watch house before being transported to its new location on the Island Harbour in September.

Last year a decision was made to have two security officers on site 24 hours a day seven days a week. Port Facility Security Advisor, Jordan Culliford, sees the new Watch House as South Port’s next big security investment, saying it is a “reflection of South Port’s ongoing dedication to port security.”

Interestingly, Port General Manager, Geoff Finnerty, was employed in the old Watch House in the early 80’s (something he was reluctant to tell the Portsider!). He views the upgrade as a response to ongoing changes in port access and health and safety requirements. These changes have led to the employment of additional staff, implementation and upgrading of security systems as well as creating a more pleasant workplace for the security team.

The Watch House will continue to induct new visitors and monitor security across the Port. The new look will provide a positive introduction to the Port for our visitors. The security team are enjoying working in the new Watch House, saying “it’s fairly state of the art for us.”

‘Simply the Best’

One of the most familiar sights in Bluff Harbour, and a sight that has been seen for longer than any other ship currently trading here, is the Rakiura Maru. Built specifically to trade between Bluff and Japan, with other ports as inducement offered, she was designed to load a full deadweight cargo of aluminium in Bluff for the northbound sailing and to bring liquid pencil pitch south, the latter giving her the unusual designation of General Cargo Carrier Tanker for Coal Tar Pitch.

Delivered in 1996 by her Scandinavian builders her maiden arrival in Bluff occurred on 1 May of that year and she has been returning regularly ever since. Now one of the oldest ships in the Gearbulk fleet, she is also one of the most well maintained - those whose business takes them on board can attest to the high standard of cleanliness prevailing both inside and out. This was recognised by Gearbulk in 2017 when the Rakiura Maru was awarded a plaque proclaiming her ‘Best vessel in its class – vessels above 15 years’. She is a credit to her masters, officers and crews.

Overhauled and Under Way

Having recently undergone her first major refit since entering service at Bluff in 2000, the South Port tug Hauroko is now back at work helping ships to and from their berths, the accompanying photograph showing her after assisting the inbound tanker Eagle Matsuyama, her first deployment after resuming duty. All work, including an engine reconditioning, was carried out on the South Port Syncrolift, proving again the versatility and value of this facility.

As the observant will have noticed, the traditional bronze green hull colour, which all South Port’s Voith tractor tugs have previously carried, is no more.

Te Waka a Aussie

Barging In

The tug Sea Pelican made her first visit to Bluff recently when she delivered Sanford’s new barge. Her call was also noteworthy as the first by an Indonesian-built ship (built in 1998 as the Ocean Juliet). She worked in Australia from 2007 until 2013 when she was bought by Southern Ocean Specialists NZ, of Dunedin, and renamed Sea Pelican.

As for Sanford’s barge – after a thorough cleaning on the South Port Syncrolift it was towed to Stewart Island and moored in its new home serving the salmon farms in Big Glory.

Another first time caller to the Port was the Antarctic Discovery, the first Australian fishing vessel we can recall seeing here. Registered in Hobart the Antarctic Discovery, as her name suggests, spends much of her time fishing the Southern Ocean returning to Tasmanian or New Zealand ports to discharge the sea’s bounty. Built in Norway in 1995 she sailed under the Argentinian flag for many years as Antarctic III before hoisting the Australian ensign three years ago. Registered owner in Australia is Antarctic Longline AUS Pty. An Argentinian sister, the Antarctic II, also established a first for Bluff when she became the first Argentinean ship to call here, arriving on 19 December 2005.

The Professor Khromov a.k.a. Spirit of Enderby passing Stirling Point outbound from Bluff for the Southern Ocean and Antarctica. ©Heritage Expeditions.

HERITAGE EXPEDITIONS

On 23 November 1994 the former Russian Polar Research Vessel Akademik Shokalskiy arrived in Bluff to conduct three cruises to New Zealand’s subantarctic islands and Antarctica.

The ship had been chartered by Southern Heritage Tours, now known as Heritage Expeditions. And so began a relationship between Heritage Expeditions and the Port of Bluff which continues to this day.

Heritage Expeditions was founded in 1985 by Rodney and Shirley Russ. Rodney had trained and worked for the New Zealand Wildlife Service specialising in the management of rare and endangered bird species. During his work with the Wildlife Service, Rodney came to appreciate the importance of advocacy and ambassadorship in conservation by sharing wilderness areas with interested people. By their very nature most wilderness areas are isolated and difficult to access and are often most readily accessible by sea. Expedition cruising was developed in the late 1970’s as a way to visit remote areas, especially the polar regions, and Heritage Expeditions was New Zealand’s pioneer.

The Akademik Shokalskiy was one of ten hydrological and metrological research ships built for the Soviet Union in Finland. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990’s a number of these vessels were converted into small ‘Expedition’ type cruise ships. Like many Russian ships, this class of vessel was ice-strengthened making them particularly suitable for operation in polar regions. Following the success of the initial 1994-

95 season, the charter of the Akademik Shokalskiy became an annual occurrence for Heritage, with one or two cruises to Antarctica and several to the subantarctic islands accomplished each summer, the vessel then returning to the northern hemisphere as autumn approached. The journey north would take the ship through the Pacific en route to her home port of Vladivostok where she would often simply be laid up until chartered again by Heritage for the southern summer.

Commencing with the 2004-05 season the Akademik Shokalskiy was replaced by her newer sister Professor Khromov, which is now on charter to Heritage for year-round operation. Marketed as the ‘Spirit of Enderby’, named for Enderby Island, perhaps the most spectacular of all sub-Antarctic islands, the Professor Khromov generally arrives in Bluff in early November each year. Expeditions to the subantarctic islands occupy the Professor Khromov until mid-

summer when voyages to Antarctica begin, exploring the Ross Sea with visits to scientific bases, historic huts and penguin rookeries, as well as the subantarctic islands en route.

As the New Zealand based southern season became well established, Heritage began to look for opportunities to expand their operations. Covetous eyes were often cast at the possibilities around eastern Russia in the northern summer. During the early years the political situation in those northern waters precluded any commercial expeditions, however in recent years there has been both a literal and metaphorical thawing of the ice allowing Heritage access to those waters. During the northern summer, Heritage now runs voyages around the Sea of Okhotsk, Kamchatka Coast, Kuril Islands and through the Bering Strait into the Chukchi Sea to visit Wrangel and Herald Islands. To make best use of Professor Khromov’s transit time between the northern and southern polar regions, Heritage has developed expedition itineraries around Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu –something entirely different from their familiar polar-based itineraries.

At the end of the 2017-2018 Antarctic season Rodney passed the management of Heritage Expeditions on to his sons, Aaron and Nathan. Marking this managerial transition, Heritage is returning to Fiordland where it marketed its first ever expedition on board the MV Deep Star in 1986. Be it an expedition westward to Fiordland or south towards the subantarctic islands and Antarctica, the long-standing relationship between Heritage Expeditions and the Port of Bluff is set to continue.