Tug blessing to honour pioneer

By ROSALEEN MACBRAYNE

TAURANGA - The Port of Tauranga's new $5 million tug, Sir Robert, is to be blessed this morning at a ceremony commemorating the role of the late Sir Robert Owens in developing New Zealand's fastest-growing port.

Sir Robert, a self-made business magnate, was a key figure in local transport and shipping.

He served as Mayor of both Tauranga and Mt Maunganui in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Sir Robert pioneered the city's port by starting a forklift, marshalling and stevedoring company which later expanded to other ports in New Zealand and Australia.

He served on the Bay of Plenty Harbour Board from 1962 through to the establishment of the port company, retiring as a director in 1993. His widow, Lady Ximena Owens, christened the 22m tug when it was launched at Whangarei last month for the voyage to Tauranga.

The tug has undergone sea trials and Canadian master Ken Schmidt has been training port staff in its use.

The tug boasts 4400hp and 50-tonne pulling power, and can be sailed by a crew of two.

It replaces the Rotorua, which served the Port of Tauranga for 33 years and was sold recently to Global Marine and Engineering Ltd in Australia.

Tauranga has two other tugs - Te Matua, with a 40-tonne bollard pull, and Kaimai (27 tonnes) - to cope with the 1100 ships that berth each year.

The port's marine services manager, Nigel Drake, said the smaller but more powerful, state-of-the-art Sir Robert was needed to handle large modern ships and is a sister vessel for three tugs built for Auckland.

Sir Robert took a keen interest in the tug's construction until his death, aged 78, in September last year, and knew it was to be named after him.