Australian-based shipping firm ANL, a subsidiary of CMA CGM, is offering support for the earthquake hit Port of Wellington.
From February 12, 2017, ANL will make weekly visits to Wellington to drop off and pick up containers using its own cranes. The Port of Wellington has had issues with moving containers after an earthquake in November last year (2016) left the port’s two quay cranes inoperative. For the past few weeks, cargo intended for Wellington has had to be diverted to other destinations such as the Port of Napier.
The cranes that ANL will provide are geared boxships, and these ship-assisted cranes should help to get operations moving smoothly again at port in the south of New Zealand.
The Port’s operator, CentrePort is welcoming the help from ANL. CentrePort Chief Executive, Derek Nind said “CentrePort understands that customers have faced significant challenges as a result of the disruption caused by the earthquake”. He went on to add that “That's why we've worked closely with ANL on this initiative, which will make it easier for central region businesses to connect with international markets”.
The ANL crane ship service will essentially run as a service that connects Wellington to Australia and other ports in the country. Commenting on this service, Derek Nind said “It's an old way of doing things. The ship is part of a network, like a bus route”.
Repair work on Wellington’s 720-tonne gantry cranes has begun, but it is believed that this will take between four to six months to complete.
