IDLE SHIPPING.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 228, 26 September 1928, Page 18

IDLE SHIPPING.

HARBOUR DISFIGUREMENT.

REPLY TO SUGGESTION,

PRESENT ANCHORAGE SHELTERED

A suggestion has been made that the ships that are lying idle at the entrance to Hobson Bay tend to disfigure the appearance of the Waitemata Harbour. Replying to this suggestion at yesterday's meeting of the Auckland Harbour Board, the harbourmaster (Captain H. H. Sergeant) pointed out that the question of safety to navigation had been studied in fixing the present moorings, which were both sheltered and under the direct supervision of the board's signalmen. "At the present time there are four U.S.S. Company colliers, and the Government steamer Hineinoa moored on the outer edge of Hobson Bay," stated Captain Sergeant. "The temporary slackness of the coal trade is responsible for the presence of the colliers, while the Hinemoa has been laid up since the arrival of the Maui Pomare and awaits a purchaser. "The matter of finding safe and suitable anchorage in the harbour for vessels which are out of commission has been one that has received my careful consideration for a long time. In the first place the safety of the ships, as well as the safety of navigation in the harbour, are important factors. Keeping Fairways Clear. "It is also essential that the fairways of the harbour shall be kept clear for shipping and ferry traffic. The hulk anchorage off Shoal Bay is now fully occupied, and the navigable channel of the upper reaches of the harbour, above Kauri Point, is too narrow to allow of the steamers being moored there. In addition to this, there is also a certain area in the harbour across which telephone and telegraph cables run, and in which, vessels are prohibited from anchoring. "The area on the north side of the harbour, off Birkenhead and Chelsea, was used for a time for mooring idle steamers, but was found unsuitable, owing to the position being too exposed to the full fury of westerly and southwesterly gales. The vessels being empty and in very light trim, dragged their anchors dangerously. It was then decided to moor them in a more sheltered and safer anchorage off Hobson Bay, where they are under the direct supervision of the board's signalmen at Mount Victoria and King's wharf."