Maersk, Hamburg Sud pullout will kill NZ port

Timaru's port has confirmed it is losing all its container shipping work, threatening about 50 jobs, reported Radio New Zealand News. Prime Port told its staff the companies, Maersk and Hamburg Sud have decided to stop calling at Timaru from mid-September.
The chief executive of Prime Port, Jeremy Boys, said the decision means Timaru will no longer have a container port. He says the port has about 85 permanent and casual staff, and many will be affected.

The South Island organiser of the Rail and Maritime Transport Union, John Kerr, said the news is devastating for staff. Kerr said 90 percent of Prime Port's operations staff are involved in container handling and he expects more than 50 jobs will go. He said after September the containers will be offloaded at Port Chalmers in Dunedin and sent to Timaru by rail.