Freighters prepare for Lyttelton strike
PrimePort Timaru will be the winner if strike action goes ahead at Lyttelton Port Company.
Pacifica Shipping will bypass Canterbury’s Lyttelton port this weekend on its scheduled route and continue on to Timaru if strike action is not settled.
New Zealand Shipping Federation president Steve Chapman said Pacifica was the main coastal ship to be affected, with more international operators likely to be affected.
PrimePort Timaru chief executive Phil Melhopt said he had been talking with shipping companies about changing their schedules to bypass Lyttelton if necessary.
Road transport operators were also making arrangements for when ships offloaded cargo at Lyttelton, Melhopt said.
A schedule of expected ships showed more than 20 might be affected over the two weeks of the strike, which has been delayed until Monday unless agreement is struck in negotiations.
Ships bound for Lyttelton had been diverted, the port company said. Among those on the schedule for this weekend were car transporter Trans Future 6 and container ship Gottfreid Schulte.
Some people have complained on social media about interrupted car deliveries, following the recent stink bug scare which has delayed car transporters.
Maersk Line has cancelled one planned port call for the vessel Laust Maersk, which was due into Lyttelton on March 9.
‘‘Lyttelton export shipments for this vessel have been diverted to load at Port Chalmers, and import shipments on board this vessel will be discharged in Tauranga and will continue south on the next available vessel that calls at Lyttelton,’’ a spokesman said.
Early next week there are container, logging, cement, and petrolcarrying ships due to call at Lyttelton, plus an ice-breaker.
Manufacturing industry representative Dieter Adam said none of his members had reported problems yet, but they were concerned about the situation spiralling out of control.
Manufacturers relied on shipping for imported raw materials, and exporting finished products, even though air freight had become more significant.
If the strike goes for any length of time it may lead to high freight charges for some customers.
It is estimated that about 15 per cent of New Zealand’s interregional freight is carried by sea.