The stylised blue PB logo on the yellow funnels of the vessels operated by Pacific Basin Shipping of Hong Kong, has become a familiar sight in this harbour for more than a decade.
Units of the fleet, while mainly linked to export log shipments, have also delivered phosphate and occasionally loaded scrap metal. But it was a first for the company's vessels when Mount Rainier, after discharging cargo at Ravensbourne last week, moved up to the Leith wharf at Dunedin to load logs for China.
It is also the fourth consignment of logs to have been loaded in the upper harbour. The 19,887gt, Hong Kong-flagged vessel, built at the Kanda shipyard in 2005, has been here once before, last September, when it loaded logs at Port Chalmers. The export of logs through this harbour began when the then 33-year old, 4307gt, Norwegian-owned Marie Bakke berthed at Dunedin in 1959.
A month later, the 4993gt, 3-year-old Celebes Maru also called at Dunedin for logs.
Both shipments went to Japan.
In 1962, a further shipment for Japan was loaded at the George St wharf, Port Chalmers, by the smaller 3668gt, 1958-built Shinsho Maru. Then in 1969, a regular log trade was established with the arrival of the 4524gt Kyoto Maru, a vessel that had only been in service for eight months.
At first, this trade only catered for the Japanese market, but later shipments have gone to China, India, the Philippines and South Korea. Over the years, the ships serving the trade have become much bigger, the largest to date being the 27,116gt New Fantasy, here in 2001.
And while Japanese-flagged ships dominated the trade in earlier years, 19 other national flags have now been linked to this trade, some of them by offshore associates of Japanese companies. Log ships have now made 521 calls at Port Chalmers since 1969.
The only other visit away from the lower harbour was made by the Regent Shipping group's Regent Marigold.
This 7717gt vessel, sailing under the flag of Panama, was berthed at Dunedin from February 18-21, 1974.
The ship returned, to Port Chalmers, in 1976, for a another part load for Japan. And while Pacific Basin names ships after geographical locations and features within the Pacific Basin, we have had visits by the likes of their Hawke Bay, Mount Cook, and Tasman Sea, one sometimes ponders over names of other visitors. The last log ship to call here at the end of last month was Tequila Sunrise on its second visit this year.
Another log ship in port a few weeks earlier was Glorious Sunrise, but the owners of these vessels are not connected.
"Glorious" is a prefix at present common to 15 vessels.
One of these is the woodchip carrier Glorious Plumeria, due on its first visit this afternoon.
Registered at Singapore, the 39,904gt, 49,636dwt vessel is owned by United Woodchip Carriers Pte Ltd. It is one of four vessels of this design that have called here since June 2008.
All were completed the previous year by the Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Company at Numakuma.
Glorious Plumeria was laid down on March 28, 2006, launched on January 19, 2007, and delivered a few weeks later on March 28.
The three sister ships that have called are Flora Pioneer, Forest Harmony and Glorious Maple. By the way, this yard has built about 50 ships that have visited this harbour since the early 1970s.
One of the earlier visitors is the above-mentioned Regent Marigold which was completed in May 1967. I note that we have another tanker, Pataonian Mystic, calling here later this month.
It is a 29,606gt, 49,414dwt vessel registered at Panama to the ownership of New Seagull Shipping S.
A, a company that has Japanese links.
Built at Setoda by Naikai Zosen, it was launched on February 25, 2005, and delivered later that year. Interesting thought.
With Easter behind us, and what businesses can and cannot operate on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, what happens when the cruise ship Dawn Princess makes its second visit next season? It is listed to call here on Christmas Day.
