QUEENSLAND'S GERMAN CONNECTIONS - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

World Wars – between and after

Hapag designed ships especially for the Australian trade, with on-board equipment to match both port facilities Down Under and the varied range of cargoes loaded – from liquids to grains and wool bales. From 1960 the new motor vessels Wolfsburg , Nürnberg and Blumenthal represented this forward-thinking, albeit with some traditional refinements: as with earlier vessels, they included increased refrigerated cargo space for the highly sought fruit and meat. Cost increases during the 1950s (fuel, tariffs and cargo-handling) led to the formation of a pooled German-British service from New Year’s Day 1962. Hapag/NDL shared offices and efficiencies with erstwhile competitors P&O and Shaw Savill, enabling departures from four European ports to be increased to weekly frequencies. Additional rights for outwards shipments from Genoa were reciprocated by increases in return cargoes of sheepskins for processing in Marseilles. ‘Off-season’ cargoes continued to be supplemented by large quantities of wheat, ores, copper, zinc and lead bound for Europe. The traditional Australian routing continued to terminate in Brisbane, with additional port calls at Hobart, Launceston and Fremantle being made on the return voyage as required. Introduction of the shipping container from 1970 led to the demise of the traditional passenger-cargo liner, and Australian routes were second only to the North Atlantic to receive the new services.

Hapag and NDL formally merged on 1 September 1970, and the new Hapag-Lloyd AG became one of seven carriers deploying 12 ships a fortnight, on a typical 68-day round-trip cycle from Hamburg, London and other European ports to Australia.

Wool bales being loaded by an NDL steamer at a Brisbane wharf.

23