Company to post bond to free ship

Legal issues are the last snag preventing Cook Islands-flagged ship Tiare Taporo from sailing to Rarotonga.

Legal issues are the last snag preventing Cook Islands-flagged ship Tiare Taporo from sailing to Rarotonga.

Pacific Schooners – the Rarotonga-based company that currently owns the vessel – has been caught up in a dispute between shareholders of the company that previously owned the ship, said director Garth Broadhead.

“It’s nothing to do with us, but due to maritime law we’ve been dragged into it,” he said, explaining that the previous owners were able to apply to the court to prevent the vessel from sailing until the dispute is solved.

The ship – formerly Canadian-flagged deep-sea fishing vessel ‘Zebroid’ – was purchased by Pacific Schooners in 2010 from Lunenburg-based Dawson Moreland & Associates Ship Riggers and Outfitters.

She has remained in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia ever since, while she was refitted and refurbished to become auxiliary sailing ship Tiare Taporo. While initially expected to sail to the Cooks in 2011, Broadhead said there were a number of hold-ups along the way due to funding shortages and construction issues.

This latest hold-up came to light in January this year, he said – around the same time that the refit was completed and the ship was ready to leave Nova Scotia.

However, Broadhead said Pacific Schooners will be paying a bond to release the ship, rather than wait for the court process to be completed before Tiare Taporo sets sail.

“Our belief is the court will throw (the dispute) out, but we don’t want to wait that long.”

He said the value of the bond was agreed with the plaintiff and will take away the need to hold the ship captive until the dispute is solved.

Broadhead expects that Pacific Schooners will have the bond repaid following the court process.

Once released, the plan is for the ship to sail directly to Rarotonga, transporting around seven crew members and cement in the cargo hold – a 46-day voyage.

From Rarotonga, her first voyage will be to the northern group islands before sailing to Hawaii and then returning to Rarotonga.

The ship will then sail regularly among the islands in the Cooks.

Broadhead said the long process of bringing Tiare Taporo to the Cook Islands has been “frustrating at times”, but the 23 shareholders funding the project have been “more than accommodating”.

“We’re disappointed obviously that it’s taken so long – obviously we wanted to start work in the Cooks as soon as possible.”

While Tiare Taporo will assist with transporting cargo – of which she can carry up to 300 tonnes – the main purpose of the ship is to transport passengers, including tourists, to “drive development in the outer islands”, said Broadhead.

The ship will be able to carry around 30 passengers, and will also offer scholarships – funded by an investor in the ship – to Cook Islanders wanting to learn the ropes of sailing.

Captain Kim Smith, who formerly headed the Kwai, took over the post on Tiare Taporo from Sean Bercaw late last year and will be bringing the ship to the Cook Islands.