The NZ Shipping Federation is welcoming the National Party’s promise to build a $300 million floating dry dock at Northport.
National Party leader Judith Collins made the announcement in Whangarei last Thursday alongside local MP Dr Shane Reti and National’s associate transport spokesperson Matt King.
“We need to grow ourselves out of this economic crisis. This project will create jobs and generate export revenue,” Collins says.
National will seek private sector capital for investment in the dry dock and the National Infrastructure Bank could also provide investment.
It is estimated to create 400 permanent jobs and an extra 200 jobs during the two to three year construction period.
“Whangarei is the ideal location for this development as it has an available workforce, is within reasonable proximity to our main Navy base and is the deepest natural port in New Zealand including hectares of undeveloped land,” King says.
NZ Shipping Federation president Clive Glover says the proposed 250 metre dry dock facility would be capable of servicing vessels trading in New Zealand and “is the missing piece of New Zealand’s transport infrastructure jigsaw”.
“This is not a political issue. It is common sense. All political parties should be supporting this.
“Having a dry dock in New Zealand would save on the fuel consumed travelling overseas, which is obviously good for the environment and also save time and money for ship operators. It will mean that ships hulls can be easily inspected, repaired and cleaned without having to make a long and costly return voyage to Singapore of Sydney.
“Investing in a dry dock is a smart use of taxpayers’ money and it will pay off as a financial investment. It would also benefit the environment as it will ensure that international ships with fouled hulls have an out-of-water option for cleaning, rather than doing it in-water at the 12-mile limit,” Glover says.
New Zealand’s main dry dock is at Devonport and was built in 1882, however a growing number of ships are now too big for that facility including three of our Navy vessels and the Cook Strait ferries which have to travel abroad for servicing.
Ships are often having to travel to Singapore for repairs and maintenance as Australian dry docks are increasingly at capacity.
Adding the dry dock to Northport is estimated to cost $300m which includes around $200m for the required infrastructure and $100m to purchase and install a floating dry dock.
