Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
Wine pair seas chance for port protest
The founders of Invivo & Co wines have taken to the seas to protest the congestion at ports nationwide.
Tim Lightbourne and Rob Cameron took a small dinghy out to meet cargo ship Seaspan Fraser, currently anchored in the Hauraki Gulf, to highlight the challenges being faced by a number of small businesses to get their product to local and international customers.
Invivo has seven containers of its new rose prosecco from Italy on a ship in the gulf.
The wine was supposed to launch in New Zealand in midDecember.
Lightbourne said the company was losing millions in sales as it waited for the product to be docked and unloaded.
The container ship with Invivo’s wine was scheduled to be unloaded on December 24 or 25, which meant the company would miss out on sales ahead of Christmas.
The congestion was also taking a toll on international sales, which would hit the company through invoicing, cash flow and reputation when it came to fulfilling orders with big retailers, Cameron said.
Invivo has 14 containers of wine waiting to head overseas, which were already delayed by weeks.
Cameron said it did not need to happen.
‘‘Cargo ships leaving New
Zealand are booked out months in advance, and we think this is an issue that could have been avoided.’’
Ports of Auckland has been approached for comment.
Lightbourne said he was frustrated with the whole situation.
‘‘What we wanted to highlight is it’s not just us.
‘‘There are other New Zealand businesses who are missing out,’’ he said.
Congestion at the ports has become a significant issue in the post-lockdown period, contributing to wider supply chain issues.
Some shipping lines have introduced a surcharge on cargo passing through Ports of Auckland, on top of higher shipping rates.
There were a number of reasons for the backlog, including a Covid-19 related delay in a major automation project at the Ports of Auckland and a struggle to get the right staff to man the port’s eight cranes.
Demand for consumer goods has also increased 20 to 25 per cent compared to last year.
Other ports around the country have been trying to absorb the overflow, however that has introduced other logistical challenges, including a significant increase in the number of trucks on the road.