After consulting with stakeholders Wellington’s CentrePort says it will apply for resource consents mid-way through the year to deepen two sections of the shipping channel in Wellington Harbour to accommodate bigger ships.
“Across the globe ships are getting bigger and we need to prepare for this” says CentrePort chief executive Blair O’Keeffe.
CentrePort would then be able to receive ships carrying up to 8,000 containers each, instead of the current 4,500.
The port company says the central New Zealand economy which it serves covers the lower North Island and upper South Island and represents 27% of national GDP and more than 600,000 jobs.
“The consents will be designed to prepare the region for the future and would replace existing consents which need to be updated” says O’Keeffe.
It would involve deepening two sections of the shipping channel, at the harbour entrance and berth, to accommodate ships with a draught of up to 14.5 metres. Currently, the shipping channel can accommodate ships with draughts of up to 11.5 metres.
This could require moving up to 8.6 million cubic metres of material from the harbour entrance to another location. A site at Fitzroy Bay is currently being investigated for the fill at a location 50 metres below the sea, and several kilometres out in the Cook Strait.
At the berth where limited deepening is required, it is proposed to relocate the fill to deeper parts of the port operational area.
The deepening is estimated to take 10 to 20 weeks to complete and may be undertaken in phases. It would be fully funded by the port.
As well as consulting iwi and stakeholders, the company is investigating the effects of the project as part of its application for resource consents.
“We will be engaging with the community about the project over coming weeks, including at the Port Open Day on 14 February,” says O’Keefe.
“Following the consultation process we will lodge our consent application in mid-2015. At this stage we are considering requesting a referral via the Environmental Protection Authority to a Board of Inquiry for determination”.
