Loss Of Last New Zealand Crewed Container Ship A Massive Threat To Our National Resilience And Security

Alliance Party leader Victor Billot visited the crew of
the MV Moana Chief, the last New Zealand-flagged and
domestically crewed container ship on our coast, in the Port
of Lyttelton this weekend.

Operator Swire Shipping
intends to withdraw the MV Moana Chief from service in the
next few months, a move that will erase the last New
Zealand-flagged and domestically crewed container ship from
our coast.

Alliance Party
leader Victor Billot says after speaking to the crew that
many New Zealanders do not understand the threat to our
country if New Zealand ships and New Zealand crews are
forced out through decades of Government policy inaction and
negligence.

“The loss of the Moana Chief represents
a complete surrender of New Zealand’s sovereignty and
exposes the severe fragility of our national supply
chains.”

“When climate-driven disasters, war, or
global supply shocks inevitably hit us, New Zealand will
have no domestic sea-freight backstop left to deliver vital
supplies.”

He says the Alliance Party will fight for
immediate, transformative action to rebuild our maritime
sector.

“The Government must reform the Maritime
Transport Act and require that all domestic port-to-port
cargo be carried on New Zealand-flagged, New Zealand-owned,
and New Zealand-crewed vessels operating under full local
employment and environmental conditions.”

Mr Billot
says the State must lead the process by establishing a New
Zealand coastal shipping line to operate a domestic coastal
fleet, dedicated to serving our long-term economic and
regional interests.

He says KiwiRail is already moving
goods on the New Zealand coast – but using overseas
flagged and crewed ships to do this.

“It is
a travesty that a state owned transport operator is actively
reducing our own maritime capability by passing on work to
multinational operators rather than local shipping
operators.”

Mr Billot says urgent funding to train a
new generation of New Zealand seafarers is also
essential.

Finally, to ensure our ships can operate
effectively, the country needs a nationally coordinated
‘KiwiPort’ policy that prioritises New Zealand shipping
as part of a public owned, hub and spoke port
network.

“The Alliance Party stands for New
Zealand-flagged shipping, publicly owned ports, and secure
jobs for the next generation. We call on the government to
step up, protect our shores, and keep New Zealand crews on
our
coast.”

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