Veronica Symann, President of Shipping NZ writes…
It is a sad reality for the shipping industry in New Zealand that a combination of increasing costs and Government restrictions are changing the nature of the country to “No-Zealand” in the eyes of ship operators, owners and agents.
New Zealand is in danger of pricing itself out of the market for international shipping. For a country which relies on shipping for the carriage of over 99 percent of our exports by volume, we are becoming one that shipowners and operators see as a high cost drain on their profitability.
Cargo owners agree.
They are concerned at the costs of doing business through our ports. International carriers and cruise lines have the same view. It must be remembered that we are geographically isolated and remote from the main trading routes, so our trading livelihood depends on attracting ship operators here.
The fear is that some operators will review whether it is worthwhile serving our shores, given the ever-increasing plethora of obstacles put in their way.
New Zealand will always have trade, but a growing concern is of pushing away good responsible owners and the implications that come with that for our country and our environment. Those obstacles include rising port prices, poor port productivity, increasing Government fees, stringent biosecurity rules and unrealistic visa requirements for ships’ crews.
