Vulnerable to transport disruption
THE disruption to flights from Auckland Airport because a fuel pipeline was damaged is another illustration of the vulnerability of transport links in this country. This time, however, unlike damage caused by serious floods, slips or earthquakes, the extent of the upheaval is in large part selfinflicted.
It appears that, while the cost of disruption is high, it was thought the chances of that happening were low. The costs of a second pipeline or substantial extra storage at Auckland Airport were not justified.
There are questions about how a digger on a farm could come to damage the line from the Marsden Point oil refinery to Auckland, assuming that is how it happened, and also about who knew what when. But the biggest question of all is about how jet fuel supplies could be so at risk.
Twentyseven flights were affected during the weekend, another 14 yesterday. Further service cuts are expected in the coming week. Air New Zealand has said it is still using too much fuel. Longhaul flights are also having to make extra stops for refuelling.
The incident makes New Zealand look like a Third World country. It exposes air travellers to uncertainty and undermines New Zealand as a destination. The country is already among the most expensive anywhere. Surely, therefore, First World facilities and reliability are to be expected.
There are also questions about responsibility. The Marsden Point oil refinery and the pipeline are privately owned by Refining NZ, and it will be paying a heavy price, estimated at this stage at $10 million to $15 million. Auckland Airport is a business in its own right, as are the airlines. Should all the blame be sheeted home to the Government for doing very little, even in the wake of a 2012 report which outlined the risks, or similar reports in 2005?
In a submission to a government review of New Zealand’s oil security in 2012, Air New Zealand said a material disruption would result in a serious situation with implications for the aviation industry operating to and from this country and to the economy. And the reports warned a major outage could cost $466 million.
Flight disruption through weather or some international supply problem might be forgiven. The public, local and international, are less tolerant of the failure of a single pipeline.
An ‘‘Act of God’’ such as the massive Kaikoura earthquake engenders much more sympathy. The coast road between Christchurch and Picton remains far from fixed or safe following the devastation of November 14 last year. But the reinstatement of the main trunk railway late last week is worth celebrating.
The line was buried under more than 100 landslips, about 60 bridges were significantly damaged and more than 750 sites needed repairing. Pictures after the earthquake were telling, and it seemed the line and road might have to be abandoned.
Before the quake, KiwiRail reports it was carrying more than one million tonnes of freight a year. Ten months later, trains will run at night and intermittently. But a start has been made, and already an estimated 2000 trucks a month will be taken off the longer and less suitable inland route.
It was only a few months ago, in July, that heavy rain prompted states of emergency in parts of the coastal south. The state highway between Christchurch and Dunedin was cut in another demonstration of the vulnerability of transport links.
All these incidents, coming on top of the Christchurch earthquakes, should reinforce the dangers of excessive centralisation and lack of planning. There will be occasions when parts of this country are cut off in various ways. One form of resilience is to spread services and depots, both for the Government and private companies.