Ships Idled in Three Main Ports

The Seamen’s Union said today that it was tying up all Israeli ships in the three main ports–Haifa, Ashdod and Eilat–for three days in an effort to force the government to reconsider its plans to sell Israel’s last remaining passenger vessels, the motorships Dan and Nili. The tie-up went into effect this morning. Ships entering the ports were immediately idled and those already in dock or at anchorages were being held for three days. Histadrut called on the seamen to return to work but agreed to intervene with the government to retain at least one of the two ships scheduled to be sold to foreign interests.

The Seamen’s Union is concerned about unemployment. The Dan and Nili each carries a crew of several hundred. The twin vessels, built as car ferries for Mediterranean service, have been operated by Zim Passenger Lines, Ltd., an affiliate of the national shipping company, Zim Lines. The passenger service proved to be a money-loser and since the Yom Kippur War the ships have run virtually empty. Not affected by today’s tie-up are tankers transporting oil from the Abu Rodeis fields in southern Sinai to Eilat.

The Zim Lines meanwhile ended the year with reduced profits but definitely not in the red despite severe trading losses caused by the Yom Kippur War. “We did make a small profit,” Zim’s general manager Moshe Kashti disclosed. But it was nothing like the previous year–1972–when Zim’s world-wide cargo and bulk operations netted earnings of IL 20 million and an IL 14 million capital gain from the sale of surplus ships.

Kashti estimated the company’s Yom Kippur War losses at IL 10 million owing in part to the sharp drop in the import of cement, iron and consumer goods such as motor cars. He said an additional loss of IL 16 million was attributable to mechanical defects in four new containerships built in Italy which had to be laid up for repairs with a resulting loss of revenue.