Due to the closure of CentrePort’s rail wharf for assessment due to earthquake damage, more transport operators are seeking other options to move interisland container freight.
Container carrier Toll New Zealand has now joined logistics giant Mainfreight and vehicle delivery and general cargo carrier Carr & Haslam in the growing search for coastal shipping space from Auckland to the Port of Lyttelton.
On Monday Carr & Haslam managing director Chris Carr told DIESELtalk he had contacted the coastal shipping operators to arrange more space as there wasn’t any point sending freight to Wellington “for it to just sit there waiting.”
Mainfreight chief executive Don Braid told Stuff he was still awaiting confirmation KiwiRail might begin rail services direct from Wellington to Lyttelton.
Braid says he is working with Pacifica Shipping and its Chinese-owned parent company Swire Shipping for extra cargo capacity from the North Island to Lyttelton.
At present Mainfreight is prioritising freight for the Interisland Ferry service, sending it to the Blenheim depot where is it collected by truck and driven to Christchurch.
According to the Otago Daily Times, Toll New Zealand announced yesterday that it had made arrangements with both national operators and international shipping lines to use coastal shipping to move container freight.
Toll New general manager Greg Miller confirmed this when contacted by the Otago Daily Times.
”We have also activated an intermodal road and rail combination for services interisland, alongside installing significant additional road services interisland,” says Miller.
There are concerns and conjecture about the amount of damage sustained by CentrePort.
The National Business Review understands the damage to the port is much worse than has been revealed so far and that damage to the rail link into the port is such it will take months, if not longer, to fix.
CentrePort communications consultant Raphael Hilbron denied this, and replied there will be “some rail” moving soon.
As for conjecture sweeping the capital that the port might be shut for up to a year for freight, Hibron replied to the NBR, “I don’t think that’s accurate.”
