Bulk Carrier’s arrival emphasises port’s role as nation’s fertiliser handling hub.

The arrival at Napier in August of the bulk carrier Mollie Manx emphasises the port’s role as New Zealand’s fertiliser hub.

The 60,000 tonne vessel was built six years ago and calls into Napier before resuming its outward voyage to Laayoune the capital of Western Sahara.

The vessel is registered in the Isle of Man and is owned by LT Ugland Shipping which specialises in owning large-capacity bulk carriers. It was built at the Tsuneishi Phillipine Shipyard.

Vessels in the Ugland fleet are all named after family members or something close to the family, in the case of Molly Manx, the family pet dog.

Port of Napier’s deep-water handling, especially in rapid turnaround, of this type of large scale bulk carrier, ensures that Hawkes Bay remains the centre of the fertiliser sector.

Meanwhile, the family ship owning company is run from the Isle of Man by founder Lars Ugland (pictured) and the Isle of Man flagged vessels are operated by specialist time and voyage charterers.In the Irish Sea, the Isle of Man is a British self governing Crown Dependency and makes its own laws and sets its own taxes. The Isle of Man is a full Maritime Convention nation.

From The MSCNewsWire reporters' desk Sunday 31 July 2016