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LPG Alley
 Click the pic of Tarihiko - taken by Wayne A'Court, www.shipspotting.com
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 Arago - taken by Dave Gallie, www.shipspotting.com
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If you happen to have been looking south (towards the water) when landing or taking off from Auckland Airport, it's highly likely you'll have seen a small wharf-like structure sitting in the middle of the Manukau.
This is the Liquigas-owned LPG marine terminal, which was brought online in February 1988, and is linked to their terminal in Wiri by a pipeline some five kilometres long. (See link above for a shot of it!)
The first shipment of LPG to the marine terminal was delivered by the purpose-built "Tarihiko" on 1 March 1988, and by the end of June 1992 (at which point movements records ceased to be maintained), she had visited 176 times.
Built at a cost of $16m by Ferguson Ailsa in Troon, and launched on 29 March 1983, she can carry 1176 tons of gas in three pressurised tanks. She is 0f 2169 gross tons and 650 net tons, with dimensions of 81.11m x 13.92m x 4.88m.
She played a significant role in rescuing 356 passengers from the "Mikhail Lermentov" when that ship came to grief in the Marlborough Sounds on 16 February 1986.
"Tarihiko" was withdrawn from service at the end of 1998, and was replaced by chartered overseas-based LPG carriers, primarily owned by either Geogas or Origin Energy, and managed by Cape Shipping Services.
Since 1999, under the guidance of pilots who boarded in New Plymouth, a steady stream of these tankers have made their way through the Manukau Heads and down the Papakura Channel to discharge their cargo, before heading back to New Plymouth to reload for either Lyttelton or Dunedin, the other terminals in the network.
These are the LPG carriers which visited between January 1999 and December 2016, and the number of times each ship called:
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 Hebe - taken by Wayne A'Court, www.shipspotting.com
 Helen - taken by George Brzezina, www.shipspotting.com
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There have only been two shipping incidents in the 28 years in which
the marine terminal has been in operation, both of which you can
read about in the Harbour Incidents section of the site.
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 Namhae Gas - taken by Wayne A'Court, www.shipspotting.com
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 Maea - taken by Wayne A'Court, www.shipspotting.com
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 Boral Gas - taken by John Wilson, www.shipspotting.com
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 Bougainville - taken by Wayne A'Court, www.shipspotting.com
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 Victoire - taken by Wayne A'Court, www.shipspotting.com
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