Port Nelson, located in New Zealand, has announced that it will invest US$15.8 million during the next 12 to 18 months on the redevelopment of its Main Wharf.
As part of the capital expenditure, revealed on December 11 by Port Nelson Chairman Phil Lough, the North berth at Nelson’s Main Wharf is set to be expanded, while a new Damen harbour tug is also scheduled to be purchased.
According to a statement, the investment will help to ensure that Port Nelson can meet the demands of larger vessels, as well as improving the region’s earthquake resiliency.
Lough said: “This Main Wharf North project will complete a rebuild programme that commenced in 1998 with the building of a 120-metre length of Main Wharf South, to which a further 60 metres was added in 2008.”
Maxim A. Dulebenets discusses the importance of optimising berth schedules for sustainable shipping in a recent Port Technology technical paper
An added 100 metres of the wharf, parts of which are a century old, will be rebuilt to a strength of 100 tonnes axle load, giving Port Nelson a full heavy-duty berth of 280 metres in length.
Planning work on the wharf development is likely to commence in early 2019, with contractors expected to be on site around July 2019 to commence groundworks.
The purchase of a Damen 2411 tug follows on from the purchase of the 52-tonne bollard pull tug Toia, which arrived at Nelson in September 2016.
The newly purchased Damen 2411 tug (Credit: Port Nelson)
Lough commented: “This increased tug capacity of 70 tonnes bollard pull will give us the necessary power to berth larger ships than we can currently handle, as well as the ability to extend berthing and sailing windows for vessels currently using the Port.”
The size of container vessels servicing the port has risen significantly in recent years, a trend which is likely to continue for the next two years.
The Vietnamese built tug, currently undergoing final fitting work, is expected to be completed in time for an April 2019 delivery to Nelson.