New Zealand Company of Master Mariners Incorporated
Company Bulletin - AUGUST 2021
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This Bulletin is published bi-monthly on even-numbered months to keep members updated with items of general company news. A copy is emailed directly from the Company to each member for whom the Company holds an email address. Hard-copies are not distributed by the Company but may be available through Branch Secretaries.
Detailed items of news are published in the Company Website www.mastermariners.org.nz and the Tauranga Branch newsletter which is circulated widely.
We welcome your contribution - Deadline is 5th of even numbered months. Please forward news to the General Secretary.
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MEMBERSHIP MATTERS
We regret to record the death of Captain Wayne Osmond, Wellington Branch, while swimming at Castlepoint Beach on 31 July 2021.
Membership as at 15 August 2021:
AUCKLAND 83
CHRISTCHURCH 22
TAURANGA 21
WELLINGTON 48
TOTAL 174
Lost Contact: Anyone who is in current contact with Captain Mike Stammer please advise details to the General Secretary
Please ensure that any changes of contact details (address, email etc) are advised to your Branch Secretary - preferably by email with CC to the General Secretary.
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COMPANY NEWS
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Captain Ted Ewbank (above) retired as Master of the Company at the Company AGM on 11 August. Ted had served as Master for 6 terms, something of a record in longevity! Ted was accorded votes of thanks at both the Executive Council meeting and the AGM, both being passed by acclamation. (See AGM report and Master's report later in this Bulletin)
Captain Eric Good was elected as Master of the Company in Ted's place. Eric joined the Royal New Zealand Navy as a midshipman in 1971, retiring in the rank of captain in 2003. He commanded the frigate HMNZS Canterbury (F421) from 1992 to 1994. Eric joined Master Mariners in Wellington in 2004 and served as Warden for 6 years until April 2021. Although retired he is also President of the Sea Cadet Association of New Zealand.
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The updated Company Rules are now available as a download in pdf format
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MEETINGS
Members are welcome at all Branch and Company meetings.
Please contact the Branch Secretary for details and to RSVP.
Auckland Branch - Meets at the Remuera Club, Ohinerau St, Remuera Auckland, Lunch meetings 1200, Evenings 1830. Planned meetings: 7 October 2021, December tbc, 10 February 2022 Evening, 14 April Lunch, 23 June Evening (AGM), 20 August Lunch (Ladies), 13 October Lunch.
For details of all Auckland meetings and events please contact the Branch Secretary.
Christchurch Branch - For details of planned activities in Christchurch please contact the Branch Secretary. August 2022 - Company AGM, date to be advised.
Tauranga Branch - Meets at the Mt Maunganui RSA. For details etc please contact the Branch Secretary
Wellington Branch - Meets at the Bolton Hotel, just off The Terrace in the CBD at Noon on the second Wednesday of each month (except January). 8 September - speaker NZCMM Member Captain Katherine Walker - 13 October, 10 November, 8 December.
For details of Wellington meetings and to RSVP please contact the Branch Secretary
Wellington Branch July 14 Meeting
Fifteen members met at the Bolton Hotel on 14th July. The speakers was Captain Mike Pryce, a well-known personality in NZ Shipping Industry who was Regional Harbourmaster at Greater Wellington Regional Council before retirement.
COVID-19 has impacted the world not only socially but has also completely changed a number of business models. The Cruise Industry is severely impacted. Mike, curious about Cruise ships following the NZ lockdown and diversion of cruise ships to Australia in May 2020, started monitoring the movement of all Cruise ships on www.cruisemapper.com. As expected, the situation went from bad to worse. The whole Cruise ship fleet, 450 ships of all different sizes, were at a grinding halt. The impact was devastating.
It was quite dramatic and the worst disruption since World War II. Diamond Princess and Crown Princesses started making the international headlines from mid-January’ 20. Mike’s discussion revolved around the passengers' challenges getting back home due to cancellations of flights. The situation got intense when more and more governments closed their borders to cruise ships and passengers. Some cruise ships were anchored off in fairly remote places and were there for months before they moved away. Some ships even had to make ocean passages back to their home ports to get their passengers off. Approximately 100,000 seafarers were stuck on the cruise ships that couldn't get home. On June’ 20, some cruise ships travelled from the Bahamas to the Philippines via South Atlantic, Indian ocean and Singapore, repatriating ship crew in various locations.
Mike highlighted various locations across the globe where many vessels anchored outside ports for months i.e. Manila Bay, Cyprus, Canary Island, south coast of England, Bahamas and Los Angeles.
It caught everyone’s attention that Carnival Cruises, a group of nine different fleets, took the biggest hit. Recorded losses of $US650 million per month. Idling Cruise ships and huge losses took some of even young ships worldwide to scrap yards in Alang, India and Aliaga, Turkey. To add to this misery, there are new builds still being added to the fleets. Mardi Gras and P&O Iona were on the trial run or idling for months and recently started doing restricted cruises in Europe with limited passengers. The overall impact on the Cruise Industry is huge, and it is estimated that Industry has lost $US55 billion and 160,000 job losses so far.
In summary, it was acknowledged that the Cruise Industry model has completed changed. There are fewer Cruises and generally navigating in the local geography rather than global voyages. The future for mega cruise ships is uncertain and not promising. Many bigger ships are being used as floating hotels and accommodations in the yards/dry docks. The vaccination drive should bring some normality in tourism but this is not guaranteed as new variants of COVID develop, and people will be cautious and avoid any global trips on Cruise ships.
CHRISTCHURCH BRANCH ANNUAL DINNER
The Christchurch Branch annual dinner was a very quiet affair this year with many “regulars” pulling out for various reasons. Nonetheless, those who did attend, enjoyed an excellent meal, in comfortable surroundings, with the added bonus that the attendees were all able to chatter away together, which is not always the case with larger gatherings, spread over several tables.
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COMPANY AGM
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The AGM of the Company was hosted by the Wellington Branch on 11 August, 14 members attended the luncheon meeting in the Bolton Hotel. Routine matters were dealt with and the outgoing Master's report was presented and received.
Download Master's report (pdf format)
There were no remits received for action.
Draft Minutes of the AGM have been sent to Branch Secretaries, and a copy can be downloaded here
The AGM next year is to be hosted by the Christchurch Branch in August 2022 on a date to be decided.
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