Portsider-November-2022

B l u f f

PORTSIDER

INSIDE

CHANGINGGEARS OURPEOPLE

BLUFFFOCUSON:

Bluff Channel Deepening Project

AHISTORYOFCONTAINERISATION

CHANGINGGEARS

Kia ora koutou katoa,

30 June is our annual balance date, which means that July and August is always a busy time of the year for the finance team at South Port. Once we hit 1 July, the stopwatch is on to complete the year end accounts, work with the auditors, and release our results to the NZX, all within 60 days of our balance date

On 25 August we released our annual result, recording a Net Profit After Tax (NPAT) of $12.83 million, which is a 19 7% increase on the FY2021 result ($10 71 million), and ahead of guidance provided at the half-year mark Without the non-recurring items, normalised NPAT is $11 16 million (FY2021 $10 45 million) which is up 6 7% Earnings Per Share is 49 cents (FY2021 41cps) This is a very pleasing result and as the Chair, Rex Chapman, noted in our press release, “it has been especially pleasing to see the high levels of resilience shown in the face of operational challenges ”

While this work is underway, the communications and executive team are working on the content for the Annual Report (also on a timeline) which must be sent out to shareholders within 90 days of our balance date. This is another large undertaking, which the team takes a lot of pride developing each year.

The 2022 annual result commentary and the Annual Report can be viewed at: www southport co nz/communication-centre

In the March 2022 issue of the Portsider, the Company noted that we were waiting for the arrival of a Heron Construction backhoe dredge at the Port to carry out dredging in the harbour entrance channel This was to complete work for an existing consent to remove fragmented rock from a previous blasting campaign in the early 1980s

It is pleasing to say that it has been a very successful campaign. It is highly likely that we will now achieve 9.7M chart datum in the harbour entrance channel (currently 8 7M) without drilling and blasting This is a significant milestone as this is the depth that was targeted for project Kia Whakaū, the subject of the resource consent that was granted on 31 August 2022 (notified to NZX on 1 September 2022) Further commentary on this successful campaign is contained within this issue of the Portsider

In the July 2021 issue of the Portsider, we celebrated Peter Cade’s 40 years of service at the Port In this latest issue, we now celebrate and recognise Blair Cousins's 43 years of working at South Port Blair is a well-known employee, working many years in the infrastructure division before serving out his final years at the syncrolift 43 years of loyalty to one company is a special achievement and it is always a sad occasion to see them leave the Company. Blair's good humour, friendly face and competitiveness around the pool table will be missed by all that know him well at the Port.

Similarly, we have just seen the retirement of Jeremy McClean from the Board of Directors at the Annual Shareholders Meeting on 1 November. Jeremy was appointed to the board in September 2011 and has served as Chair of the audit and risk committee from 2017. Jeremy has been an asset to the Board during his tenure, a great supporter of the Company and the Leadership team, and will be missed.

Finally, it is fantastic to see restrictions easing at the border post the Covid-19 pandemic Some of our staff have had to ‘bear the brunt’ of these restrictions being separated from their families for a number of years, which has been a difficult and stressful time. Eduardo Queluz, our environmental engineer has been separated from his family in Brazil for three years, and they were finally reunited in Auckland on 8 October

Ngā mihi nui, Nigel Gear

Eduardo Queluz and his family, upon their arrival to New Zealand on 8 October

COVER:GPKDeDonge‘B’TypeBackhoeDredger,operated byHeronConstructionCompanyLtdwhilemaintenance dredginginBluff

IMAGECREDIT:TammiTopi-SouthDroneNZ

TheBluffPortsideriscompiledby: SouthPortNZLtd POBox1,Bluff9842 (03)2128159 reception@southportconz wwwsouthportconz

ChiefExecutive:NigelGear

Editedandproducedby:CharlotteScoles

Contributors:DAEdge,GEMcLeodandCScoles

OURPEOPLE

WELCOME

Bob Bowen - Senior Launch Master - August

Josh Nielsen - Launch Master - August

Mark Edmiston - Launch Crew/Relief Launch Master - August

Shaun McKellar - Syncrolift Operator - September

INTERNALCHANGES

Debbie Sutherland - Cold Stores Operator - September

Luke Turner - Cold Stores Operator - September

Paul Lester - Health and Safety Advisor - November

LONGSERVICERECOGNITION

Rob Goodman - 20 year anniversary - August

Te Ratu Sikisini - 20 year anniversary - November

Hayden Mikkelsen - 10 year anniversary - November

CELEBRATING RETIREMENT

After43yearswithSouthPort,BlairCousinsisclosingthe chapteronalongandimpressivecareer.

Turnbacktheclockto1979,anda19-year-oldBlairappliedfor theEngineeringTechnician/CadetpositionwiththeSouthland HarbourBoard.Blairfoundit“virtuallyimpossible”togainajobin theengineeringfieldinNelson(hishomethen),sohedecidedto venturefurtherafieldandsetupinthedeepsouth

ManyofusgottoknowBlairverywellaroundthesmokotable, wheretherewasalotofgreatbanterandsomeverycompetitive poolanddartmatches.Blairhadsuchincrediblesuccessonthe pooltablethatweweresurehewasadjustingthelevelsbetween smokobreaksattimes!

Blairwasalsoanintegralpartofthesocialclubcommittee.Inthe earlydays,thesocialclubincludedworkcolleaguesandtheir partners,whowerealwayslookingatwaystogetstaff connectingoutsideofthetypicalworkday Blairwasalwaysinthe thickoforganisingevents,especiallytheannualpicnicand Christmasfunction,whichhadaheavyfocusonfamilyandwerea greattraditionformanyyears

AlothaschangedsinceBlairfirststarted…theIslandHarbour wasonlyinstage2ofitsdevelopment,asignificantprojectthat keptBlairandotherengineersbusyintotheearlyeighties.After this,hemovedintotheroleofPortServicesEngineer,supervising

contractorsastheycompletedcapitalworks,repairs,and maintenance.

Blairhasbeenresponsiblefortheoperationand maintenanceoftheSyncroliftfacilitysince2018andwas aqualifiedDockmasteratthetimeofhisretirement.Over thepastcoupleofyears,Blairhasspenttimetrainingand transitioningRobDixontoensurethefacilityisinsafe handsashedeparts

Bluffishomenow,andhisyoungestsonPhillipstilllives herewithhisthreechildren.HiseldestsonBrycelivesin Rotoruawithhisfamily(includingababyontheway),and hisdaughterReneelivesinChristchurchwithtwo children.

Outsideofwork,Blairenjoysreading,constructing modelsofships,andDIYaroundthehouse TheBluff VolunteerFireBrigadewasabigpartofhislifefor20 years,withlotsofsocialisingintheearlydaysresultingin lifelongfriendships BlairappreciatedthatSouthPort supportedhimandotherfireandambulancevolunteers whentheyneededtimeoffforemergencycallouts.

WewishBlairallthebestandcannotthankhimenough forhis43yearsofdevoted,loyalservicetoSouthPort.

TWO20-YEAR ANNIVERSARIES!

Te Ratu Sikisini – Raa to his mates – started at the Foreshore Road Cold Stores on 4 November 2002 and came across to South Port when we purchased the business from Southland Cool Stores in September 2012

At Foreshore Road, Raa held the position of Foreman, leading a large team of permanent and seasonal operators.

When South Port combined our Cold Store operations in 2018, Raa relocated to the Island Harbour As a senior member and leading hand, Raa played a crucial role in ensuring a smooth transition and helped set the foundations for the success we enjoy today

Raa is a steady, reliable, and well-respected staff member – the ultimate team player. In 2021 the Leadership Team awarded Raa with a “Values Recognition Award”, publicly acknowledging his cold stores experience, expertise, and commitment to teamwork

He had the chance to transfer to the Depot team when an opening arose in early 2021 but pulled out of the race to see out the busy cold stores season This meant he was on hand to assist in the stocktake, a massive logistical exercise, and also gave us valuable extra time to train up his replacements – not easy considering the size and complexity of our operations. Even though there were no guarantees of future vacancies, Raa acted selflessly and put the team’s interests ahead of his own

In mid-2021, Raa transferred to the Depot team, where his experience and calm demeanour strongly influenced the group

What’s the best part of the job?

My family and I are proud to be Bluffies, and living and working in the local community is excellent The fact that I work 5 minutes away from home is a real bonus, which means I can spend more time with my family and friends in Bluff

What do you find challenging?

Every job has its ups and downs; I always try to go with the flow, but I’m not afraid to speak up when it matters.

What keeps you busy outside of work?

I like tinkering with cars and motorbikes – I have a motorbike, but unfortunately, I don’t get to ride it as often as I’d like to!

I have six children ranging in age from 32 down to 4 – and I also have five grandchildren up in Huntly I’d love to spend more time with –maybe that’s a good reason for a road trip?

Congratulations, Raa – thank you for your loyalty and hard work over the past 20 years. It’s great having you on our team!

Robert Goodman - Rob started as a casual in the Cold Stores, initially working alongside his father, Riki Back then, it was mainly fish – unloading fish boats, sorting, and loading containers.

Rob transferred to the Dairy Warehousing Department in 2008 and was involved from the get-go when South Port took on the Open Country Dairy contract for receiving, storing, and loading export products Looking back, he saw this as his first opportunity for progression within the Company, first moving into leading hand responsibilities before stepping up as Acting Supervisor while Misty Johnson was on maternity leave in 2012.

Rob was offered the chance to train on heavy machinery, including the first Liebherr mobile harbour crane Soon afterward, an opening in the crane maintenance team came up, and Rob didn’t look back! Fast forward to today, and Rob’s role in the fleet maintenance team involves servicing and maintaining our fleet of large and small forklifts and harbour cranes, including training, coaching, and mentoring our ‘next generation’ crane operators.

Rob is one of our top performers and has been recognised for several special recognition awards for his teamwork and for consistently going the extra mile

What’s the best part of the job?

It’s undoubtedly challenging, there’s much variety, especially with the interaction with other departments, and nowadays, there’s the rotation of crane trainees. Most of the work is routine maintenance, and we’re up-to-speed with that, but there are also unforeseen and unplanned repairs, such as when gear belonging to [a third party] breaks down And we have a great group of guys, an excellent team, and everyone gets on and work in with each other

What do you find challenging?

Breakdowns are always challenging, and the downtime and loss of productivity – like earlier in 2022 when we had to order parts from Germany that took over a week to arrive, the rest was frustrating. Fortunately, we learned from that and are much more organised nowadays and carry extra spare parts to manage the risk better

What keeps you busy outside of work?

My two boys, aged 15 and 10, are a big part of my life, and I’m proud of them. We’re into motorbike riding. I’m into motorsports, and I’ve competed in the Burt Munro street racing and Bluff Hill climb – my goal for 2023 is to have a good crack at it next year, and hopefully, the locals will get behind me!

Congratulations on this milestone, Rob!

2022 ANNUAL SHAREHOLDERS' MEETING

OnTuesday,1November,weheldour34thShareholders'AnnualGeneralMeetinghereatSouthPort.

Director,MrJeremyMcClean,electedtoretirefromtheBoardofDirectors.JeremywaselectedtotheBoardin2011.He hasbeenavaluablecontributortotheCompany’ssuccessoverhistenureandhasbeenamemberoftheAudit&Risk CommitteeandthenChairofthatcommitteeforthelastsixyears.

Jeremy’sbackgroundasanaccountantandvalued businessadvisortothefarmingsector,togetherwithhis soundbusinessjudgmentandvalues,areattributesthat allofushaveappreciated

Wewillmisshiscontributionandcompanyaroundthe boardtable,andwewishhimwell.

AvalidnominationwasreceivedfromMrJohnSchol, who,attheAGM,wassuccessfullyelectedtotheBoard ofDirectors.JohnholdsaMasterofBusiness Administration,aFellowCharteredAccountant,a CertificateofPublicPracticewithChartered AccountantsAustraliaNewZealand,andaChartered MemberoftheInstituteofDirectors

MrPhilipCory-WrightandMrsClareKearneywere successfullyreelectedafterretiringbyrotation followingtheCompany'sconstitution

OFFICIAL SOUTH RAIL OPENING

OnFriday,14October,wecelebratedthecompletionoftheSouthRailLogYard.Thisredevelopmentsaw17,000m2 upgradedfromgravelsurfacetoasphalt.PicturedhereisErnslawOneRegionalManager,PhilDeLaMare,left,andRayonier MatarikiForestsRegionalManager,HamishFitzgerald,right,officiallycuttingtheribbon

BLUFF FOCUS ON

BLUFF CHANNEL DEEPENING PROJECT

Earlier this year, South Port contracted Heron Construction Company Ltd to remove the fractured or fragmented rock in the Port entrance channel from previous dredging campaigns.

The aim was to remove any already blasted or fragmented rock that remained in the channel from previous ‘capital dredging’ campaigns over 40 years ago Blasting of the channel, which started in the 1970's and finished in the late 1980's, saw some fragmented rock unable to be retrieved due to the engineering limitations of dredging machinery available at the time.

These limitations were highlighted in October, toward the end of the project, when the team at Heron Construction retrieved an old bucket (refer to photo 6) that originated off the ‘Murihiku’ - South Port’s old resident bucket dredge vessel, that was most certainly among the most powerful and up-to-date dredges in the Southern Hemisphere at the time. The ‘Murihiku’ was purpose-built in Scotland, in 1904, specifically for Bluff It spent its 73-year working life in the region, before being decommissioned in 1978

The latest project commenced on 21 August 2022 and was projected to end in late September; however, it officially ended on 14 October There were several variables associated with a project such as this, foremost of which, was the uncertainty of the extent of the fragmented rock and therefore the timeline was subject to change.

Much to the delight of South Port, the campaign achieved a 9.7m chart datum (CD) in the harbour entrance channel

This was a significant milestone as this is the depth that was targeted for project Kia Whakaū, the subject of the resource consent that was granted on 31 August 2022.

Kia Whakaū is a project to dredge and remove seabed materials to

9 7m CD in the harbour entrance channel, which included drilling and blasting as required, 10 7m CD in the Island Harbour berth basins, and 9.45m CD in the swinging basin.

Owing to the success of this most recent project, the drilling and blasting activity required for project Kia Whakaū is unlikely to be required under the new consent granted This is a very exciting development for the Port and will have the potential to significantly reduce the cost of the project going forward.

South Port will now contract a suction dredge to deepen the swinging basin and berth pockets under the new resource consent which is expected to be completed in the second half of 2023, to allow for larger cargo volumes and vessels to transit through the Port.

The majority of the dredged rock and material was relocated not far from the mouth of the Bluff Channel; however, some rock was taken and has been stored on land as it was identified that it could be utilised to repair sea walls or processed into gravel for use in port pavement projects.

The team at Heron Construction Company Ltd worked around the clock, and we thank the entire team for their efforts, along with the Bluff community for their support throughout this project.

Hopper load of material dredged from channel ready to be re ocated

The dredge named the GPK, work ng in the Bluff Channe

Photo cred t Tammi Topi - SouthDrone NZ

The Tug, Iona M, towing hopper away from the GPK

Inside the cab of the GPK with screens showing what area can be dredged

South Port Chair Rex Chapman, and Director, Jeremy McClean pa d a visit to the GPK backhoe dredge as t entered its fina days at the Port

The old bucket found of which originated from the old 'Murih ku' dredge

Iona M towing hopper away from the GPK

Hopper load of rock dredged from channel wh ch was b asted n the 80s

Iona M working hard on a stunn ng Bluff even ng

Photo cred t Tammi Topi - SouthDrone NZ

THE CHINA NAVIGATION COMPANY TURNS 150

TheChinaNavigationCompanyhasbeentradingwithBluffforlonger thananyothershippingcompanystillinexistence Thefirstcompanyship tocallherewasthe“Tamsui,”whicharrivedon18thAugust1885withtea fromChina,returningthefollowingyearwithasimilarcargo.

Somethingofahiatusfollowedbeforetradingresumedwiththearrivalof the“Kwangsi”on22ndMay1962.Afterthat,aregularlinerserviceran fromBluffandotherNewZealandPortstoJapanandHongKongviaway Portswhichcontinuedintothe1980's,bywhichtimemulti-purposeships capableofcarryingbreak-bulkandcontainerisedcargowereoperating ontheroute Modern,multi-purposevesselsnowmaintainthisservice andareoccasionalvisitorstoBluff,butbulkcarrierspredominatethese days,displayingthecompany’scoloursinBluff

Locally,Swirealsohasthetrans-tasman‘Chief’containershipswhile tradingontheNewZealandcoastarethecementship“Aotearoa

Chief”andthecontainerships“MoanaChief”and “TakutaiChief,”thelattertwooperatingthe coastalservicesofPacificaShipping,theformerly Lyttelton-basedcompanyrecentlyacquiredby Swires TheparentcompanyofChinaNavigationis theSwireGroup,formerlyJohnSwire&Sonsand onceButterfield&Swire,foundedin1816andnow avastconglomeratewithpropertyinvestments–mainlyinHongKong,aviation–notablyCathay PacificAirways,andnumerousothersincluding,of course,shipping.

Since2006whentheshippinginterestsofthe groupwereconcentratedunderthetitleSwire Shippingthestructureoverseeingitsmaritime interestshasbeenvestedintheChinaNavigation Company Thisrenownedcompanyiscelebrating thisyearas2022marks150yearssincetheChina NavigationCompanywasfloatedontheLondon StockExchangein1872withacapitalof£360,000 fullysubscribed.

Thefollowingyear,servicesbeganontheYangtze Kiangwiththesailingofthesmallpaddlesteamer “Tunsin ”Remarkably,fewshippingcompanies havesurvivedsolong,andsymbolizingthe company’sdurabilityinanoftenturbulentindustry istheSwirehouseflagwhichhasremained unchangedthroughoutthecompany’sexistence Nowallthat’slefttodoisfindsomeonetoblowout 150candles.

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF THE 5TH GENERATION

Forthosewhorecallthearrivalofthe“MandarinArrow,”the firstofGearbulk’s‘5thGeneration’shipstocallinBluff,it seemstohavebeenonlyafewyearsback.Hence,itcomesas ashocktorealiseithappenedlastcentury,onthe19thof April1997,tobeprecise Atleastthatexplainsthegreyhair, lackofhair,orboth,asthecasemaybe

Fromapilot’sviewpoint,theywerearadicaldeparturefrom thenorm–a50,000-tonnebulkcarrierwithabowthruster powerfulenoughtohavesomeeffectandahigh-liftrudder thatactedlikeasternthruster.Astheterm‘5thGeneration’ indicates,thesewerenotthefirstGearbulkships,noteven thefirstwithgantrycranes,asgantry-equippedGearbulk shipshavebeenvisitingBluffsincetheearly1980s

The‘5thGeneration’shipswerebuiltinChinafrom1994to1997,with nineintheclassoriginally,allofwhichhavevisitedBluffandcontinuetodosoexceptforthe“ToucanArrow,”soldforfurther tradingin2018 Beingofopenhatchdesign,thetwoforty-tonnecapacitygantrycranescanlandcargoinitsstowedpositionin thetenholds,andtheyusuallyvisitBlufftoloadaluminumatTiwaiWharf.Since2018Gearbulkhasbeenthemajoritypartner inG2OceanA/S,formedwithfellowNorwegianbulkcarrieroperatorsGreigStar.

FAREWELLTOTHE"ORETI"

At the beginning of August, we farewelled the "Oreti" as she departed for her new home in Auckland Built in 1980 as "Corio," she relocated to Bluff from her namesake location, Corio Bay, Australia, in early 1991. The "Oreti" came from five sister ships, was 11.38m x 4.05m x 1.64m in size, and was fitted with a Detroit Diesel running 172kW. The "Oreti" was used to tow the barge out to the spoil ground behind Tiwai to dump dredgings, for maintenance of navigation marks, and as a general work boat. We wish the "Oreti" well in her future endeavors.

FEEDINGTHEFISHES

Aquaculture is a major industry around the world and has spawned a fleet of distinctive support vessels supplying fish food and other necessities to these maritime farms Locally our largest and best-known aquaculture base is across the strait on Stewart Island where Sanford has numerous salmon-raising cages located in Big Glory Bay, while a newly-built fish farm tender recently delivered to Bluff from its Vietnamese builders' glories in the name “San Little Glory”. Bulk supplies for the salmon farms also come through Bluff and recently we were visited by the first ship designated a ‘Fish Farm Support Vessel’ to call at the Port.

The ship in question was the “Eidsvaag Omega”, which also had the distinction of being the first overseas ship to use berth 1 this century Built in 2017 by Partner Stocznia in the town of Police, Poland – yes, Police is the name of the town and comes from the Proto-Slavic word Pole, meaning field, while the Polish constabulary is known as Policja – on

the Oder River in the northwest of the country the “Eidsvaag Omega” was completed as the general cargo ship “Baltic” for Dutch owners Her rebuilding as a Fish Farm Support Vessel followed her purchase by Norwegian owners Eidsvaag AS in 2020 and she now flies the Marshall Islands flag with her Port of registry being Majuro.

CongratulationstotheteamatBrianPerryCivilonwinningawardsatthreeseparate events:

RegionalAwardsinOctober

TheInnovationAwardandtheContractsover$5MAwardattheCCNZCanterbury andWestlandHYNDSandHirepoolContractoroftheYearAwardsinNovember

Thisrecognitionisatruereflectionofthetime,effort,andplanningputinbyBrianPerry Civil,andwethankthemagainforwhattheyachieved Ourupgradedpetroleumberth looksamazing!

ThenewLeesheavy-dutyforkliftusedfor handlingcontainersfrom1987

Portsider-May1987

"Rangora"loadinganddischargingcontainers atBerth4

Portsider-September1995

SouthPortforkiftscrca1985featuringtwowith detachablespreadersforcontainermovements

Portsder-September1985

Thenewmobileharbourcraneworkingona vesselatBerth4

Portsider-September2006

A HISTORY OF CONTAINERISATION AT SOUTH PORT PART ONE

In 1956, an entrepreneurial trucker named Malcolm McLean sought a cost-effective means to move cargo between New Jersey and Texas He loaded 58 trailer bodies onto a World War II vintage tanker called the "Ideal X", marking the start of 'containerisation

Almost thirty years later, back in New Zealand, the containerised cargo was ramping up. At South Port, the number of containers passing over the Port had increased by 89%, going from an average of 200 units in previous years to 1823 units in 1983 At this point, South Port had no dedicated container pad Berth 8 was the usual platform for this traffic; however, Berths 4 and 3a were occasionally used to load and discharge containers.

Due to the increase in container traffic, a Lees D65 30-tonne, the heavy-duty forklift, was delivered to the Port of Bluff in May 1987

In 1989, Bluff saw the introduction of two new shipping companies. The first was the F E S C O. Shipping Line, serving Asia through the Russian Far East, with the “Nikolay Malakov” and “Kapitan Baoievskiy” calling monthly to pick up containerised wool, stopping the need for this particular product to be railed up to Port Chalmers

The second was the Tasman Asia Shipping Line which scheduled a monthly call to Bluff to load containerised aluminium, cargo and bulk cargo Four vessels were assigned to this route - the "T A Navigator " "Mariner," "Explorer " and "Voyager "

As a point of interest, 1988 was also the final year that the Southland Harbour Board existed as a trading identity, changing its name to South Port New Zealand Ltd

In May 1992 the Trans-Tasman service of the South Pacific Shipping Company was inaugurated with the arrival of the “Rangitikei ” However, a victim of her

"Ranginui"berthinginBlufffor thefirsttime

popularity she proved too small to handle a number of containers coming out of Bluff to the Australian market. She was replaced after six voyages by the more prominent “Rangitata ”

In March 1993 a weekly service out of Bluff was introduced when the “Rangitikei” returned to join the “Rangitata” in the Sydney to Melbourne run. As the trade through Bluff continued to increase, the “Rangitikei” was replaced by the “Ranginui” in September 1994 which offered an increased capacity of 256 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Containers (TEUs) In turn, the “Ranginui” also proved too small and was replaced a year later by the “Rangiora ” with nearly 100 additional container slots of which 20 could be used for reefers.

Around the same time the Dutch company Nedlloyd introduced two container ships to their service between Bluff and South East Asia These vessels were the “Nedlloyd Van Diemen” 23,790 gross tonnes, and the “Nedlloyd Van Noort” 23,790 gross tonnes.

The total number of containers handled at South Port grew from 3 487 in 1995 to 6,265 units in 1996 an increase of 80% This increase in container numbers prompted the $5 5 million investment of purchasing a new Liebherr LHM 1300 mobile harbour crane to service this growth in business, with said crane arriving in November 1995.

The crane was delivered by the “Spirit of Vision” in kitset form, and was assembled under the direction of Liebherr engineers before being officially handed over to South Port on 5 December 1995. It was particularly suited for container handling, with a fully automatic telescopic spreader for 20, 30, or 40-foot containers. 49 tonnes could be lifted - out to a radius of 32 metres and 24 5 tonnes to 45 metres It was also equipped for grab operation

Part two of the history of containerisation at South Port will be covered in the March 2023 Portsider.

Portsider-September1994

ThenewlypurchasedLebherrLHM1300mobileharbour craneservcngaNedlloydinevesseatBerth8 Portsider-January1996

J. LAURITZEN BULKERS

Danish shipowner J Lauritzen first appeared on this page of ‘The Bluff Portsider’ in Volume 2 Number 1, dated January 1982, just the fourth ‘Portsider’ to be published That article was to celebrate ten years’ service from Bluff to Japan by Lauritzen’s refrigerated ships, their function plain to see as their names all carried the suffix ‘Reefer’ That tradition continues today but now the ships are bulk carriers and the suffix is ‘Bulker’ Lauritzen has operated many other ship types through the years including polar ships, oil tankers, gas carriers, drilling ships and rigs, semisubmersible heavy load carriers and a cruise ship, but today it is the bulk carriers that prevail

As a ship type the bulk carrier was far in the future when Ditlev Lauritzen established a small timber company in the Danish Port town of Esbjerg in 1884 Because of his age, he was only 24, Ditlev had to register the company in his father Jorgen’s name, and so J Lauritzen A/S was born Initially the company traded in timber, coal, building equipment and agricultural supplies, much of it imported in chartered ships Preferring to use his own vessels Ditlev moved into shipowning in 1888 with the steamer “Uganda,” but it was not an auspicious start as she sank a few months later. However, a new ship was ordered, and by the end of the century eight ships carried Lauritzen colours and ship-owning had become the primary business of the company.

The First World War caused heavy shipping losses and anticipating a

post-war boom Lauritzen built a new shipyard near Copenhagen which opened in 1921 but the high construction cost resulted in its sale two years later Lauritzen’s ambition to have its own ship construction facility was realised more successfully in 1937 when the Aalborg Vaerft shipyard was purchased This yard stayed in the Lauritzen Group until closure in 1988, one of its last deliveries being the “Arahura”, still regarded by many as the finest rail ferry ever built for Cook Strait service

During the 1920’s trade expanded to the Mediterranean and Africa, the ships generally taking coal south often returning with oranges or bananas and such was the demand for fruit that a regular service began. With this trade showing great promise the newly built ship “Ulla” was fitted with refrigerating machinery to become the first reefer in the Lauritzen fleet. The ‘Reefer’ suffix was introduced in 1935 and the first seen in Bluff on the “Indian Reefer” in February 1961. Many Lauritzen ‘Reefers’ were loaded in Bluff during the next forty years, the last being the “Chilean Reefer” in

2001. Since then all the Lauritzen ships calling here have been bulk carriers, in fact every Lauritzen ship to call here has been either a ‘Reefer’ or a ‘Bulker’ except one, the “Magga Dan”. One of the company’s renowned polar ships the “Magga Dan” was built as a passenger-cargo/polar expedition ship and in 1967 the New Zealand shipping company Holm & Co. chartered her to make the first ever commercial tourist voyages to Antarctica.

Most of the passengers were Americans, with the “Magga Dan” departing Lyttelton in early January 1968, returning to Bluff on 4 February to change passengers before departing for the Antarctic again, concluding that cruise back in Bluff on 3 March 1968 To improve their visibility in ice the polar ships were painted bright red and this was later adopted for the entire fleet

After building the biggest refrigerated ships afloat during the 1990’s Lauritzen acquired Cool Carriers in 2001 making it the largest operator of refrigerated ships in the world, but in 2007 decided to quit this sector in favour of bulk carriers

Lauritzen’s first bulk carrier was the “Silja Dan” bought in 1973 and a new company, Lauritzen Bulkers, was formed in 1982 as the brand name for Lauritzen’s bulk carriers

The ‘Bulker’ suffix was applied to all owned and most chartered bulk carriers, first appearing in Bluff in February 2002 when the “Hudson Trader” was renamed “View Bulker” Since then the Lauritzen ‘Bulker’ has become as familiar in Bluff as its ‘Reefer’ once was