New Zealand is facing the loss of its last domestic-flagged container shipping service, with Swire Shipping consulting on a proposal to cease Pacifica Shipping’s coastal container operation.
The move centres on the Moana Chiefthe New Zealand-flagged vessel that has operated on the Pacifica network for the past seven years. Swire said the ship is due to leave New Zealand at the end of July for scheduled drydocking in Asia, with no suitable domestic drydock capacity available.
The proposed withdrawal would remove the country’s last New Zealand-flagged and domestically crewed container vessel from coastal trade. The Maritime Union of New Zealand called the development a “catastrophic milestone” for economic resilience and urged reform of Section 198 of the Maritime Transport Act, which it says allows international ships to carry domestic cargo as a matter of right.
Pacifica has long been New Zealand’s main dedicated coastal container operator, moving domestic full container load cargo between North and South Island ports and complementing road and rail. The company’s own material previously listed two New Zealand-flagged boxships, the 1,700 teu Moana Chief and 1,300 not Takutai Chiefalthough the latter was withdrawn from service in 2024.
The loss of the Moana Chief would leave New Zealand without a domestic-flagged container vessel at a time when many governments are reassessing maritime resilience, fuel security and strategic fleet capacity.
