Tug, wharf revamp part of $29m plan
Port Nelson will spend about $29 million to boost its infrastructure, including the redevelopment of a wharf and a new harbour tug.
Port Nelson chairman Phil Lough announced the latest expenditure to the company’s Nelson city and Tasman district council owners on Tuesday.
He said the investment was ‘‘a significant endorsement of the health of the region’s economy’’ and would ensure Port Nelson could meet the demands of larger vessels, including cruise ships, as well as improving earthquake resilience for the region.
The Main Wharf North project will complete a rebuild programme that began in 1998 with the construction of a 120m length of Main Wharf South, to which a further 60m was added in 2008.
A further 100m of the wharf, most of which is almost 100 years old, will be rebuilt to a strength of 100 tonnes axle load. It will then give Port Nelson a full heavy-duty berth 280m long.
Planning work on the wharf development is likely to commence early next year, with ground works getting under way around July. The project is due for completion in mid-2020.
The purchase of the new, as yet
‘‘The size of container vessels servicing the port has risen significantly.’’ Phil Lough, Port Nelson chairman
unnamed Damen 2411 tug follows the purchase of the 52-tonne bollard pull tug To¯ ia, which arrived in Nelson in September 2016.
The new Vietnamese-built tug is undergoing final fitting work and is scheduled for an April 2019 delivery.
Lough said having an increased tug capacity of 70 tonnes bollard pull would provide the necessary power to berth larger ships than the port could currently handle, as well as the ability to extend berthing and sailing windows for vessels.
‘‘In recent years, the size of container vessels servicing the port has risen significantly, and this trend is likely to continue over the next two years. This increased towage power should also assist Port Nelson and the Nelson-Tasman area in securing additional visits of larger cruise vessels that have not called into the region up until this point.’’
Port Nelson Ltd chief executive Martin Byrne said the Port’s two older tugs, Huria Matenga and W H Parr, were still in use but were likely to be sold by the end of 2019.