Changing of the guard at Taharoa

For the non-Kiwi's reading the Blog, Taharoa is an commercial iron sands deposit west of Hamilton (south of Auckland). Iron sands are made into flat steel products at Bluescope's Glenbrook Mill and exported as a slurry to Japan. Iron sands suspended in water are pumped out to the Taharoa SBM and loaded into the ship tanker-style. De-watering channels in the ship's structure allow the water to settle out and it's pumped back ashore into a reservoir to be reused. Taharoa Express and Destiny are fitted with a bow crane to lift the pipeline up to the ship's loading manifold.

Taharoa Express- final departure

Taharoa Express, having spent a decade and a bit carrying iron sands loaded at the Taharoa Single Point Mooring Buoy, has finally been retired and loaded her last cargo on 8th May 2012. Originally built as a Capesize, she was converted for the NZ-Japan slurry trade in 1999. After this discharge, she will be scrapped in China.

Taharoa Destiny, her replacement, is purpose-built and has loaded her first cargo for discharge at Port Kembla. She'll then will come back to Taharoa for a full iron sand cargo for Japan.

Taharoa Destiny

Taharoa Destiny departing for Port  Kembla

 Photos courtesy of the M.H.Pryce Collection

Antipodean Mariner