TECHNICAL PROBLEMS with the 3194 TEU Maersk Bali, employed on the company’s OC1 service between ANZ and East Coast North America, have seen the trans-Tasman Polaris service vessel AS Sabine (1762 TEU) diverted to ship reefers from Tauranga to Balboa, Panama for on-carriage.
Maersk Bali has been stranded at Tauranga since 21 August with technical issues that “prevent the loading and carriage of reefer containers”. The ship was on OC1 V432N and has since been removed to a lay-by berth for repairs.
AS Sabine’s Polaris voyage 435E/436W, which had been headed to Melbourne, was diverted to Tauranga with Melbourne cargo onboard transferred to the westbound OC1 vessels Maersk Willemstadt 432S (current indicative ETA Melbourne 13 September and Spirit Of Auckland 433S (phase-out vessel) current indicative direct ETA Fremantle 21 September.
AS Sabine departed Tauranga 31 August and is due Balboa 16 September, while other Maersk Bali cargo will be lifted by OC1 vessels Spirit of Melbourne 433A and Maersk Wellington 434N.
With AS Sabine absent Maersk has adjusted the Polaris schedule, holding the 2470 TEU JPO Aquarius at Melbourne anchorage for a week before taking the former’s schedule position for V 435E/437W, scheduled to depart East Swanson Dock this afternoon (3 September) for Auckland (10 September), thence Nelson, Timaru and Port Chalmers.
