Construction is underway on a new inland port in Marlborough which aims to strengthen the region’s wine exports and other primary industries.
The facility is based in Riverlands, south of Blenheim, and is being developed and run by Port Nelson’s QuayConnect logistics division.
The initial phase of the Marlborough Inland Port encompasses a 1.4ha site, with an additional 2.6ha reserved for future development.
The facility will include 5,000 square-metres of warehousing for storage and packing and a dedicated area for container operations and storage. Anticipated completion is set for the end of 2024.
QuayConnect general manager Jaron McLeod says the new facility will be an efficiency boost for Marlborough’s importers and exporters.
“In the last 12 months, we’ve facilitated the movement of 77% of New Zealand’s wine exports through Port Nelson.
“With volumes set to increase, this facility is a critical step forward, offering container and product storage and warehousing right at Marlborough’s doorstep,” McLeod says.
Strategically located adjacent to New Zealand’s largest wine bottler, WineWorks Marlborough, the Marlborough Inland Port will facilitate stock transfer to and from the bottling plant, utilising electric tugs to reduce emissions.
The facility will also feature storage for empty and full containers, tanker and tank container (ISO) wash facilities, and repair services.
WineWorks chief executive Pete Crowe says the inland port will be a key to increasing Marlborough’s supply chain capacity.
It will give clients “resilient, sustainable, and cost-effective options for getting wine to the world”, he says.
Central Express Limited (CEL), a transport partner for QuayConnect and the wider Marlborough wine industry, will be a tenant on the Inland Port facility.
