All “Sea transport” topics

Swire Shipping has confirmed the closure of its Pacifica coastal service, telling customers on 9 July 2026 that it could not find a sustainable pathway to keep the service running. The Moana Chief, Pacifica’s remaining 1,740 TEU vessel, made her final coastal voyage in late July. New Zealand has lost its last New Zealand-flagged, New Zealand-crewed container ship.

Over the past 18 months, TAIC has published or opened investigations involving runaway wagons at a port, two ferry groundings, a foreign ship that lost power twice in New Zealand waters, and a near miss between a freight train and track workers in Dunedin. Taken individually, each is a safety incident with its own circumstances. The pattern they form together is worth examining: not what went wrong in each case, but the conditions that allowed it to.

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South Port New Zealand (South Port) has marked a significant milestone with its recent half-year financial results, reflecting a period of operational improvements and enhanced efficiency. The port, which serves as a crucial hub for southern New Zealand’s logistics and transport network, has successfully increased the volume of cargo handled while operating with fewer container vessel calls.

Andrew Spelman, Commissioner, Intelligence and Systems, Biosecurity New Zealand answers questions about tracking and monitoring the complete journey of a container.

The Cook Strait, a vital maritime link between New Zealand’s North and South Islands, has long been served by ferries that transport passengers, vehicles, and freight. Over the years, the Government has undertaken various initiatives to modernise this essential service, addressing challenges related to aging vessels and infrastructure. But recent attempts to address this particular piece in the country’s supply chain have gone awry, causing headaches for the Coalition Government.

Freight moves very efficiently to ensure that goods are available when and where they are needed. However, a major Hikurangi Subduction Zone earthquake and tsunami taking out the Cook Strait ferry terminals for an extended period would bring immediate chaos to the movement of goods between the North and the South Islands.

In an eye-catching investment into New Zealand’s infrastructure, global logistics giant A.P. Moller-Maersk (Maersk) celebrated the opening of its state-of-the-art integrated cold chain facility at the Ruakura Superhub in Hamilton last month.

ABB Ability (ABB) is set to deliver the maritime industry’s first megawatt charging system (MCS) for electric and hybrid ferries of Auckland Transport (AT). Designed to recharge electric ferries using the identical interface found in trucks and aeroplanes the shore-to-ship charging system will substantially diminish market entry obstacles for electric ships and amplify the competitiveness of electric vessels in comparison to their fossil-fuel counterparts.

Shipping costs are on the decline, offering respite to importers and exporters in a landscape marked by persistent and far-reaching inflation. It’s some of the first good news since the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, when officials threw everything at the crisis.

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Freight has been a prominent agenda item for South Island regional councillors in recent months. Supply chain disruptions and the recent government direction to reduce transport-sector greenhouse gas emissions have heightened interest in the topic.

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Port of Rotterdam Vice President Commercial Emile Hoogsteden outlines the impact of the Suez Canal blockage and the current situation and action plan.

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