Auckland to spend US$5.9 million to dock 5,000-TEU ships

THE investment arm of New Zealand's largest municipal government, Auckland Council Investments (ACI), will spend NZ$8 million (US$5.9 million) on dredging the northern berth of the Fergusson container terminal and extend its length to accommodate 5,500-TEU ships.

Ports of Auckland CEO Jens Madsen said vessels in the 3,500-5,500 TEU range will be coming to New Zealand in the future. The investment will ensure sufficient depth along the length of the Fergusson terminal to accommodate them.

The new mooring structure, called a "dolphin", will be separate from the main wharf and will enable vessels to be safely moored on the outer berth with a greater overhang than is allowable currently. Work starts early next year, reports New Zealand's Business Today.

Mr Madsen said the prospect of 7,000-TEU ships regularly visiting New Zealand by 2015, as suggested in a recent report from the Shippers Council, seems "optimistic". The Ports of Auckland is therefore taking a step-by-step approach, he said.

The port is the New Zealand's busiest container terminal, with 63 per cent of the upper North Island market share. It handled cargo valued at around NZ$25 billion in the year to June 30, equivalent to 13 per cent of New Zealand's GDP.
(Source:www.schednet.com)