The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website | home
La Bonita | Lali | Lorena | Luhesand | Maasmond | Mamaku | Manawanui | Maranui | Matipo | Maunganui | Melva | Milburn Carrier | Milburn Carrier II | Mirabella | Moana II | Moanui | Moanui | Moresby Chief | Nanok S | Ngamaru II | Ngamaru III | Nikau | Niugini Kula | Niuvakai | Norfolk Trader | Northern Transporter | Onehunga | Onehunga | Oriental Surveyor | Other Vessels Of Note
La Bonita
 Taken by Dave Gallie, www.shipspotting.com
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Built in Wilhelmshaven, she was powered by a 1600hp MAN diesel, producing a service speed of 13 knots.
She was equipped with two 19.5 tonne cranes and one 17 tonne crane, and was first on the scene to search for survivors when "Capitaine Bougainville" caught fire off the Northland coast on 3 September 1975. Sixteen lives were lost.
A month prior, Auckland members of the Maritime Union proposed a trial exercise to load and reload "La Bonita" on a co-operative contract basis with Reef Shipping. It proved reasonably successful, and led to the formation of a joint company, Maritime Union Stevedoring Company, with a $3000 capital, 51% owned by the union and 49% by Reef.
 On the hard at Whangarei - courtesy Heritage Images, Derek Messenger, 1136-038a
All Reef's vessels were soon operating under this arrangement, but the issue of profit distribution arose - should all union members benefit or only those handling the contracts?
Reef's employment policies - Fijian labour was used on their ships at rates well below those of New Zealand seamen - also captured the attention of critics as part of the profit distribution question, so in 1976 the union chose to buy out Reef's share of the arrangement.
This led to a further merger in March 1977, with Auckland Stevedoring and McKay Shipping joining forces with the Maritime Union Stevedoring Company to form Auckland Stevedoring (1977) Limited, which was the leading stevedoring operation in Auckland for many years.
 On the hard at Whangarei - courtesy Heritage Images, Derek Messenger, 1136-038
Operating the Pacific Islands trade on charter to Reef Shipping while in these waters, she departed for Fiji on 10 March, returning 15 days later, then departed Onehunga for the last time on 18 April 1979, destination Norfolk Island.
She was replaced on the run by "Fijian", and went on to serve a number of other operators before being broken up in Alang in June 2003.
Information published in "Wharfie - Unionism on the Auckland Waterfront"
is included above
|
Sourced from Ships of NZ Facebook page