March 2020 Vol 40 No. 1 Published by South Port NZ Ltd INSIDE Changing Gears 2020 Scholarship Recipients SOUTH PORT’S PEOPLE Bluff Focus On: Cruise Ships Sporting Moments Changing Gears It has been a turbulent time worldwide Policy. The Port is working hard to post-31 December when China notified improve our communication channels the World Health Organisation of several with the community. Part of this Policy is cases of unusual pneumonia in the city of also to run a Port Open Day and allow Wuhan. These cases were eventually the public onto the Port to look at our diagnosed as being caused by a virus we operations. On 15 March the first Port now know as Covid-19 pandemic. Open Day for 30+ years was run and Vale The safety and wellbeing of our was a huge success. Personally, I was employees is of the upmost importance very proud of the effort that our staff and CAPTAIN LENNOX (LEN) MOUNSEY for the Board and Leadership Team organising committee put into the day during this pandemic. Measures have and this shone through with the positive been put in place to increase the hygiene reactions displayed by our visitors v standards, physical distancing, creating (further detail and images will be provided teams to separate staff, sending staff in the July edition of the Portsider). home that can operate from a remote Dave Edge location and many more in line with the The New Zealand maritime community of Captain Bird. Becoming Harbourmaster did not Ministry of Health guidelines. Captain Dave Edge was a pilot at the will be saddened to learn that preclude carrying out pilotage duties and on Port for 30+ years until his retirement in long-serving Bluff Pilot and 20 January 1984 Len conducted his At the point of writing this column the 2013. In 2017 due to a shortage of Harbourmaster Len Mounsey 2,000th pilotage, at that time a record for country is operating at Alert Level 4 with pilotage resources Dave came back to has died. no certainty as to how long we will be at support the Company and pilot vessel the Port. He also held a coastal pilot’s Len was a ‘Geordie’ born in this status. movements until our recently recruited licence covering Fiordland and ► Chief Executive, Nigel Gear Newcastle upon Tyne in November pilots reach unlimited classification. This Stewart Island long before these What we do know however is that ports 1932 and undertook his pre-sea occurred recently with Captain Paul are deemed essential businesses. The training at H.M.S. Conway, one became the Mecca for cruise James obtaining his unlimited licence. continued movement of essential goods important part of the team that supplies of Britain’s most prestigious ships they are today. In addition This meant the last ship Captain Dave across our wharves is necessary for the articles for the Portsider, so he is not training schools, being to the few cruise ships that Edge piloted in Bluff was the cruise ship entirely lost! wellbeing of our communities. Trade has awarded an ‘Extra’ Leaving Bremen on 3 March 2020 and thirty visited Fiordland in those days always been an important part of our In signing off please be kind and Certificate upon completion. years earlier she was also the first cruise Len piloted ships up to Deep economy however as we work our way considerate of each other during this In 1950 he joined the equally ship he piloted under her original name Cove at the head of Doubtful out of this pandemic it will take on greater time of uncertainty and hopefully when prestigious Shaw Savill and Frontier Spirit, (although not the first ship significance to help the country get “back we publish the next Portsider we can Albion Line as an apprentice. Sound through which most of on its feet again”. piloted of course). The Company would comment on a rosier outlook for the In 1952 Len made his first the heavy equipment and oil like to thank Dave for his hard work, Community Engagement country. visit to Bluff aboard the products for the Manapouri superb work ethic, humour and loyalty Akaroa, never imagining that Nigel Gear Power Scheme were imported. In the past six months South Port has that he has shown over this time. Dave this was the port in which he Under Len’s watch many rolled out our Community Engagement will be missed however still forms an was to spend the majority of his working life. Having improvements were made to the obtained his Master Foreign- Port, perhaps the most important Going Certificate in 1959 Len from a pilot’s viewpoint being the continued with Shaw Savill, a change in the navigation beacons, career highlight being his which eventually became solar appointment as Chief Officer to the powered, and the replacement of the Dominion Monarch, the largest South Port NZ passenger-cargo ship ever built for the elderly steam tug with two modern Voith New Zealand trade and a ship to which tractor tugs. only the most highly regarded officers were Away from work Len was a leading figure at sent. In 1965 Len applied for the position the Bluff Golf Club, enjoyed yachting on of Tugmaster with the Southland Harbour the Harbour, the company of his friends Board, an application which was Late Bluff Harbourmaster successful and in 1966 Len, his wife Len Mounsey and the splendid view from his home Angela and their four children, settled in overlooking the Port. Bluff. On 31 December 1990 Len retired after After a year as Tugmaster Len was promoted to junior Pilot and 24 years of service to the Port. He and Angela then moved to on 1 August 1968 to full Pilot. As a Pilot Len was without peer, Pleasant Point, near Timaru, but recently returned south to be his superb ship-handling ability prompting one ship’s master to nearer their children. Len passed away peacefully on 27 January ► The new Hyster reach stacker being officially handed over at the Port. ► COVER: A sample of the scenery that brings write to the Board commending the ‘exceptional skill’ of the Pilot cruise ships to New Zealand; the Lady 2020, aged 87. Bowen Falls near the head of Milford Sound who had handled his ship. with the doyen of local tourist vessels, the After a brief period as Deputy Harbourmaster Len was appointed To Angela and family from all of us at South Port, our sincerest Milford Haven in the foreground. Harbourmaster at Bluff on 1 August 1968 upon the retirement condolences on your sad loss. New Reach Stacker The Bluff Portsider is compiled by The Company recently purchased a new Hyster reach stacker as a replacement for an South Port NZ Ltd. PO Box 1, Bluff 9842. Phone: (03) 212 8159. Fax: (03) 212 8685 aging machine used at the Port. As with any heavy machinery it is important to maintain Email: [email protected] a modern, reliable and efficient fleet given the growth the Company has seen over the Website: www.southport.co.nz v past five years in the container trade. Chief Executive: Mr N Gear Contributors: Capt. D A Edge and J May The reach stacker provides additional operating flexibility in the terminal allowing Edited by: K Hoyle containers to be retrieved two-deep in a stack and also rotate containers 180 degrees Production by: Craigs Design and Print Ltd when required. 02 03 BLUFF FOCUS ON CRUISE SHIPS The Golden Princess clearing Normans Island, Dusky Sound. ► Among the swells off Milford Sound is the Majestic Princess. ► Southern stalwarts, Heritage Expeditions’ Professor Khromov (foreground) and Akademik Shokalskiy storing ship in Bluff ready for another voyage. The cruise season currently drawing to into Milford Sound by air making life its conclusion has been one like no other difficult for tourist operators there at as far as the Fiordland transit has been what is normally their busiest time of concerned. We are all used to a little year. When it is raining in Fiordland rain in Fiordland from time to time, in fact tourists are usually consoled by the we are all used to quite a lot of rain fairly thought that ‘the waterfalls will be frequently in Fiordland, after all it is one magnificent’ but this time the Gods of the wettest places on the planet, but rather overdid it. One consequence of the deluge that struck the area in early Milford being closed to cruise ships was February was unprecedented. Over a an unscheduled visit to Stewart Island ► Genting Group’s Explorer Dream of Dream Cruises. ► Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Jewel showing off her artwork in the Acheron Passage. metre of rain, around six week’s worth of by the Noordam, becoming, we believe, ‘normal’ rainfall, fell in less than three the biggest ship to have called there. days. Widespread flooding and Other than the enforced downtime in landslides occurred and so much debris Milford it was another busy cruise was carried down the Cleddau and season with 131 transits scheduled. Arthur Rivers that navigation in Milford Most were by companies well Sound became hazardous due to trees, established in New Zealand cruising but logs and other detritus. So dangerous a notable newcomer was Dream Cruises did it become that the Regional Harbour with the Explorer Dream and Ocean Master closed Milford Sound to Dream both visiting. This company is navigation for several days. This part of the Genting group, owner of effectively closed Fiordland to cruise Norwegian Cruise Line and other brands ships as there was no way for pilots to that have been regular visitors for many embark or disembark, except for one years but Dream Cruises caters more to enterprising South Port pilot who Asian requirements than Gentings other managed to thumb a lift home from brands.