Government eye on foreign-borne containers

By PAM GRAHAM

The Government is unlikely to reregulate coastal shipping or give it a tax break but it could tax containers picked up and dropped around New Zealand by foreign ships.

This position was put to a meeting of 30 Government, union, shipping and transport company representatives in Wellington.

The meeting agreed to seek permission from port company customers for ports to pass on information that would define the present position of coastal shipping.

Estimates of the amount of containers transported from one New Zealand port to another by international vessels vary between 3 per cent and 15 per cent, said Transport Minister Pete Hodgson.

The Government is also looking at a minor change to immigration laws that affected ships run by New Zealanders but owned by someone else.

"The really interesting thing was that everyone agreed that an efficient coastal shipping industry was important," said Hodgson. He said they disagreed on how to get one and on the present position.

Trevor Hanson, general secretary of the Maritime Union, said: "All parties realise there are three modes of transport in New Zealand, road, rail and sea, and though some of them don't like saying it they can't afford to get into a position where road and rail has got a monopoly."

Hodgson said the Government had taken a decision in principle not to proceed with cabotage or tax breaks.