The New Zealand Merchant Service Guild (MSG), the Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) and the Aviation and Marine Engineers Association (AMEA) are pressing the government to secure New Zealand-crewed, New Zealand-flagged tankers to distribute emergency fuel stored at Marsden Point.
This comes after the government announced support for Channel Infrastructure to recommission storage tanks at Marsden Point, adding 90 million litres of diesel—roughly eight extra days of supply for New Zealand.
The unions support efforts to boost fuel resilience amid ongoing disruptions from the Middle East conflict but caution that simply increasing storage capacity is not sufficient.
“Having fuel in a tank at Marsden Point does nothing for a farmer in the South Island or an emergency services vehicle in a regional centre if we cannot move it where it is needed,” New Zealand Merchant Service Guild Vice President Iain MacLeod said.
“Apart from the pipeline to Auckland and road distribution in the upper North Island, coastal shipping is the key domestic option for moving large fuel volumes between New Zealand ports.”
Relying on cheap international operators, the unions warn, is a reckless gamble during a global fuel disruption.
“At a time when shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is severely disrupted and global supply chains are under pressure, exposing New Zealand to further risk is a bad decision,” Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Carl Findlay said.
“We must rebuild a New Zealand maritime capability with vessels and crews that have a direct stake in our national resilience and security.”
The unions point out that New Zealand’s vulnerability has increased since the Marsden Point refinery closed on 1 April 2022 and the country lost its New Zealand-flagged coastal tanker service, including vessels such as MT Matuku and MT Kokako.
“Our seafarers and engineers have an exemplary record of safety and reliability over decades of service,” said Findlay. “Dedicated New Zealand coastal tankers would provide both transport capacity and mobile storage to deliver fuel during local emergencies or international disruptions—capabilities that foreign operators simply cannot guarantee.”
The unions are calling for three urgent actions:
- Investment in a strategic fleet: The government must fund a New Zealand-flagged, New Zealand-crewed tanker fleet to ensure a maritime bridge for essential fuel and freight.
- Legislative reform: Section 198 of the Maritime Transport Act should be strengthened to narrow foreign-ship exemptions and give priority to New Zealand vessels in coastal fuel movements.
- Public interest over profit: National fuel security must outrank the just-in-time commercial models of private fuel companies that have left the country dangerously exposed.
Findlay said the government has the funds for storage; now it must summon the will to restore New Zealand’s maritime fleet and secure the fuel our nation depends on.