Sailors' protest ends after agreement to talk on NZ crews

Protesting sailors at Auckland's waterfront have gone home after a shipping company agreed to talk about the future of trans-Tasman ship crews.

Members of the Maritime Union stopped the Hapag Lloyd ship Rotoiti from being unloaded at the Ports of Auckland Bledisloe Terminal early today.

The 31-year-old ship was due to be retired but the union was worried once that happened the trans-Tasman cargo would be carried on other company ships without New Zealand crew members.

However, union spokesman Garry Parsloe said the protest was withdrawn when the company agreed to talk about crews, particularly on the trans-Tasman route.

He said the union was not demanding a ship but wanted berths for some New Zealand sailors.

"What we were after was some dialogue. They have some social responsibility to us.

"They are living off the profits they are getting out of this country and they should be putting something back in."

Mr Parsloe said the company said today it would discuss keeping some of the New Zealand crew on the trans-Tasman routes.

"We are not even asking for another ship. We are just asking for them to pick up a few of our people and share them through the fleet."

The ship was due to sail for Sydney and Melbourne tomorrow and return to Auckland on November 18.

- NZPA