MV Karetu II 1964-1980

The MV Karetu II was built in 1964 by Taikoo Dockyard, Hong Kong, originally for the French shipping company Société Navale de l'Ouest but sold to the Union Steam Ship Company (USSCo) before completion. Along with its sibling ship, MV Karepo II, it entered the USSCo’s Tasman service in August 1964, but the introduction of Ro-Ro (roll on, roll off) cargo ships and unit-load cargoes saw both ships made redundant after only a few years of service.

In 1980, the ship was sold to BCD Shipping in Singapore, and two years later it was sold again to Pacific Navigation and renamed Pacific Ocean. In 1987, the ship was finally sold to shipbreakers in Taiwan.