Centreport is implementing alternative methods of moving container freight following earthquake damage to its container terminal and gantry cranes, rendering them inoperable.
By collaborating with shipping lines, customers, and suppliers, CentrePort staff are seeking a workaround method to get containers through the port and to their final destination.
Using container vessels with onboard cranes is one solution, and this method will start with the arrival of the MSC Penelope on Monday 28th November.
CentrePort chief executive officer Derek Nind says the company is working on other short and medium-term solutions including mobile cranes on the wharf, and the possibility of building a bespoke platform to support the existing gantry cranes.
“The significant damage caused by the earthquake has reduced our container shipping capability in the short to medium-term,” says Nind.
“We are currently assessing the options, while also talking to our customers every day so they know what’s happening,” he says.
CentrePort chair Lachie Johnstone says the board is pleased with the progress made by the Port, working with various agencies to get up and running after the quake.
“We’ve got ferries, fuel, logs, cars, and cruise ships operating successfully and we’re working on solutions for our container service, which is vital to many businesses and households across central New Zealand,” says Johnstone.
Johnstone says the company is talking to the main stakeholders about long-term measures to improve resilience at the Port, which contributes $2.5 billion to GDP and supports 21,000 jobs in the central region.
