ACTIVITY AT THE PORT.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 November 1922, Page 4

ACTIVITY AT THE PORT.

A DUTCH MOTOR SHIP. SEVERAL LINERS COMING. After a quiet period activity will be renewed at the port of New Plymouth this week-end with one overseas vessel and three coastal steamers in port, while several big liners are listed to visit the port during the next few weeks. Considerable interest has been aroused by the arrival at New Plymouth of the Dutch motor ship Hermes, which is discharging a cargo of case oil from Sumatra. The Hermes is the first motor ship to arrive in New Zealand waters, and. additional interest in her will be created when the fact is recalled that the Union Steamship Company is having built the world’s largest motor ship for the Vancouver service, a vessel with a speed greater than that of the Niagara. A full description of the Hermes appeared in the Daily News of October 21. With her bridge amidships, and her two Diesel motors and funnel in the stern, she presents a somewhat different picture to the usual run of vessels plying to the port. She has Dutch officers and a Chinese crew. The Hermes will be at New Plymouth five or six days. The liner Otaki, with cargo from New York, was due at New Plymouth this week-end, but owing to the overseas berth being occupied she will discharge at Wellington and Dunedin, arriving here about the end of next week. An interesting arrival, which is expected here about to-morrow week, is the C. and D. liner Port Denison, which is bringing direct cargo from English ports. She will be the largest vessel to berth at New Plymouth, touching the 10,000 tons mark. The Port Denison is to leave Dunedin to-day for Lyttelton to continue discharge of her London cargo, and from Lyttelton the vessel proceeds to New Plymouth, where she is due on the 11th inst. to put out the remainder of her cargo.

The liner Middlesex is listed to load at New Plymouth. Due at Wellington to-morrow the Middlesex is to discharge and then load at Lyttelton and Dunedin, thence coming to New Plymouth to load produce for West Coast ports of the United Kingdom. Another arrival at New Plymouth about th? middle of the month will be the Waihemo, with cargo from Pacific coast ports of America and the first direct fruit shipment from the Pacific Islands to Taranaki.