Update on shipping and ports in New Zealand

Shipping Australia thanks our counterparts, Shipping New Zealand, for providing leads on several of the items below.  Contact Shipping New Zealand for further details.

NZ Maritime Legislation Review gets underway

Wellington’s Associate Minister of Transport, the Hon James Meager MP (Member for Rangitata, National Party)  is considering the merits of modernising New Zealand’s maritime transport legislation by review settings in the Maritime Security Act 2004 and the Maritime Transport Act. The review has apparently been prompted by the realisation that trans-national serious organised crime is becoming a growing threat. Documents from the NZ government cite a World Customs Organization study in which 70% of maritime drug seizures had a trusted insider link, and the document adds, there are “many examples of insider threat in a New Zealand context”. The NZ government is reviewing its law to ensure that NZ agencies have the ability to manage security risks. Maritime New Zealand is also looking at enabling timely intervention in maritime incidents, it believes that the current trigger point for intervention is too high as the ship is already in grave and imminent danger. Maritime New Zealand is also concerned that its intervention threshold for oil spill response is too high. A consultation is underway and the deadline for submission is 30 January 2026. For further details of these, and other aspects of the review, contact our counterparts on the other side of the Tasman, Shipping New Zealand.

Review of the Maritime Levies

Maritime New Zealand is conducting a review of the Maritime Levy – these levies fund nearly half of MNZ’s operations and are critical to maintaining a safe, clean and sustainable maritime system. Reviews are scheduled every three years to address inflationary pressures and to assess whether too much or too little revenue has been collected over the period. Any potential levy adjustment will come into effect on 01 July 2027.  Maritime levies apply to all commercial ships (New Zealand and overseas) operating in NZ waters, whether on a temporary, permanent or occasional basis. Costs vary according to different aspects of the vessel such as deadweight, passenger capacity if any, overall length and gross tonnage. You can find out more by visiting Maritime New Zealand.

New Maritime and Marine Protection Rules come into force

Amendments to maritime rules came into force earlier this week that had been signed into law by the Associate Minister for Transport, the Hon James Meager, on 08 October 2025.

The changes update NZ law to reflect changes to international conventions and to carry out minor legal changes.

Changes include:

• Marine Protection Rule Part 125 – MARPOL Annex 1 (oil and oily water) related changes to prohibit the use of and carriage of heavy fuel oil by ships in Arctic waters
• Marine Protection Rule Part 140 – MARPOL Annex II (noxious liquid substances in bulk) – more strict rules on pre-wash requirements for cargo tanks transporting ‘persistent floater; polluting cargoes. Tank washing residues will need to be discharged in the appropriate reception facilities.
• Marine Protection Rule Parts 101A, 123A, 160 – MARPOL Annexes I (oil and oily water) and IV (sewage) in relation to unmanned non-self-propelled barges
• Marine Protection Rules Part 300 – in respect of the Code for Approval of Ballast Water Management Systems (aimed primarily at maritime administrations)
• Marine Protection Rules Parts 123B, 140, 142B – MARPOL Annexes I (oil and oily water), II (noxious liquid substances in bulk), and V (garbage) – enabling the use of electronic record books (definitions, requirements)
• Maritime Rule Part 43 – Global Maritime Distress and Safety System – reflects new performance standards for ship earth station for use in the GMDSS; allows for use of approved non-INMARSAT C systems that conform to the performance standard.

Further details can be obtained from Maritime New Zealand.

Worlds biggest LNG-powered car-carrier arrives in Auckland for the first time

New Zealand media have breathlessly reported on arrival of the ship Saic Anji Logistics (IMO 9973377) which called at the Port of Auckland recently. The Liberia-flagged vessel was reportedly built by CSSC Jiangnan Shipyard, has a length just shy of 200m, a breadth of 38 metres  and is said to be dual-classed by the China Classification Society and DNV. The vessel is reportedly dual-fuel and is said to have been delivered in August 2023. The vessel is operated by SAIC Anji Logistics, a subsidiary of SAID Motor Corp. AIS ship trackers report the ship is now en-route to Japan. You can found out more ship’s call in New Zealand here.