Several months ago, I mentioned the links over the years between this harbour and vessels mostly engaged in the British liner trades that have been named after Auckland.
However, as those vessels have long departed from the New Zealand maritime scene we now have the "city of sails" associated with foreign-operated vessels in the bulk/lumber trades.
At the time POS Auckland was here for the first time loading logs, the Hong Kong-registered vessel built in 2003 was on charter to South Korea's STX Pan Ocean Shipping Company.
Today, another of that country's smaller shipping companies will be represented here again with the arrival of TPC Auckland, on its second visit.
It is one of five vessels operated by the Trans Pacific Carriers Company Ltd, of Seoul, which was founded in 2001.
More than half of TPC's business is the shipment of logs from New Zealand.
It is also involved in carrying bulk cargoes, such as cement and grain, with its ships going to Australia, Japan and other Far East countries.
Of particular interest is the theme used for naming the vessels, where the letters TPC are followed by that of a New Zealand port.
To date, three units of the fleet have now called here.
TPC Auckland was the first when it discharged cement from China at Dunedin in August 2005.
In September 2006, TPC Wellington also brought Chinese cement to Dunedin and last March, TPC Napier loaded logs at Port Chalmers.
A 16,722gt, 28,451dwt, 13.7-knot vessel, completed by the Imabari Shipbuilding Company in September 1991, joined the fleet in 2004.
The ship traded as Ocean Great until 1997, then as Golden Bell until 2000 when it was renamed Captain Corelli.
Then, from later that year, it traded as Avon until bought by TPC.
Another vessel whose name had a brief association with Auckland berthed at Port Chalmers on its maiden voyage 40 years ago next Saturday.
The vessel was the Tauranga-registered, refrigerated vessel Aotearoa.
Three months earlier, it was announced by the Owens group that a vessel was to be chartered, registered in New Zealand and operated in the Japanese trade in conjunction with Mitsui-OSK Lines.
Ordered by M-OSK from the Shikoku Dockyard Company at Takamatsu, the vessel was laid down at Yard No. 736 on February 2, 1969.
The vessel was launched on May 28,1969, as Auckland Maru, but was completed for the new venture early in September 1969 as Aotearoa.
The ship was registered to the ownership of the New Zealand Eastern Line Ltd then bare-boat chartered to New Zealand Sea Transport Ltd.
The new ship arrived at Auckland from Japan on September 27,1969, and on its first visit to Port Chalmers loaded frozen meat.
It made only one other local visit, to Dunedin on May 3, 1970, again to load meat.
The white-hulled, 135.03m-long Aotearoa was a 4670gt, 6428dwt vessel having a loaded displacement of 10,787 tonnes.
Fitted with four holds, all served by cranes, the vessel had 8865cub m of refrigerated space.
A six-cylinder, 8300bhp B&W diesel engine supplied by the Mitsui works at Tamano, gave the ship a trial speed of 19.15 knots.
Normal service speed was 17.2 knots.
Economic reasons forced the withdrawal of Aotearoa after only three years.
The ship departed from the New Zealand scene when it sailed from Bluff for Japan on August 25, 1972.
It was then sold for service as Penta, under the Liberian flag.
This lasted until 1980 when it passed to Manila-based interests, who renamed it Transocean Reefer.
Finally, after a career of only 15 years, it arrived at Shanghai for demolition on August 20, 1984.
