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Northern Transporter
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Built in Oldenburg, she is powered by one 1998hp Maschinenbau diesel, producing a service speed of 13.5 knots.
Ice strengthened, she carries 153 TEU, and has one 25 tonne crane. She has a crew of eleven.
"Northern Transporter" was the lone ship employed by NZ Coaster Services, linking Lyttelton, Nelson and Onehunga from July 1991 on a run last served by "Union Nelson" six years earlier. It was later extended to Wellington, briefly, and Dunedin. Early on, she visited Newcastle and Yamba from Onehunga on a one-off voyage.
 The company, a 50-50 venture between local and German interests, was set up as a feeder service for South Pacific Shipping's trans-tasman operations, and was made possible by waterfront reforms and the introduction of integrated crews.
But like other recent coastal services before it - Union's Sealink service and Coastal Shipping's "Onehunga" operation - NZ Coaster Services' operations proved to be short-lived, NZ Rail's freight rates cited as a key factor in the feeder service concluding on 2 April 1993. Three days later, "Northern Transporter" was named "Rangikura", and it was under that name that she sailed from Onehunga for Sydney on 6 April, as she commenced work in South Pacific Shipping's trans-tasman trade.
 Alongside at Lyttelton - photo source unknown
SPS went into liquidation in February 1998, by which time "NT" was already operating for new owners, for whom she met an unfortunate end at Chittagong in 2000.
She arrived off Chittagong on 28 November with 2200 tonnes of copra on board. But she developed a leak and sunk at the Jetty of Chittagong port, only to be salvaged and refloated. She then caught fire, and was sunk on 3 December to avoid an explosion which would damage harbour facilities. She was broken up six months later.
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