Port considers impact on dolphins
The Lyttelton Port Company has put its resource consent application for a new cruise berth on hold while it refines the design and looks at the impact on rare Hector’s dolphins.
The $56-million berth between Cashin Quay and the entrance to the inner harbour was due to open for the 2020 cruise season.
Port development manager John O’Dea said they would provide an updated timeline once the design was finalised, and work would begin as soon as resource consent was granted.
‘‘We placed the consent on hold because we are undertaking further research to ensure we address any environmental concerns, in particular addressing some concerns we had around the impact of the initial design on the protected Hector’s dolphins found in Lyttelton Harbour.’’
A document filed with the application said underwater noise from prolonged pile driving for up to 18 months could adversely affect dolphins and other marine mammals.
A Cawthron Institute report said Lyttelton Port Company (LPC) would investigate ways to reduce the noise, but currently no published trials of such mitigation techniques had been done in New Zealand waters.
Even with the noise reduction measures, pile driving was likely to have ‘‘more than minor effects’’ on endangered Hector’s dolphins present in the harbour over the summer months.
The report said to minimise the risk of hearing damage at least one dedicated trained marine mammal observer, and possibly a support vessel, would scan an agreed area around the construction zone for seals, dolphins or whales before during and following pile driving.
If marine mammals were spotted in the safety zone, work would cease until they left.
The berth will be the first custombuilt cruse ship facility in the country designed to accommodate the world’s largest cruise vessels, and LPC said it would be used by about
80 cruise ships a season, as well as car ships and banana boats throughout the year.
This season Akaroa will host more than 70 cruise ships, compared with just 10 smaller vessels stopping at Lyttelton, which was removed from many cruise itineraries following earthquake damage to its wharfs in 2011.
ChristchurchNZ industry partnerships manager Caroline Blanchfield said the ability to cater for larger vessels was hugely important for the region because the
5500-passenger Ovation of the Seas, the largest ship currently cruising New Zealand waters, was too big to call into Lyttelton or Akaroa.
‘‘It has been past 10 times this season. That’s 10 missed opportunities for having these passengers come here and spend money.’’
However, Lyttelton Port will have some limitations.
Only one large ship would be able to tie up at a time, although the port could also handle a second smaller cruise boat in the inner harbour, Blanchfield said.
Akaroa regularly hosts two or three ships at once, with passengers ferried ashore from harbour moorings, but that was not possible in Lyttelton.
Blanchfield said double cruise ship days put considerable pressure on Akaroa, which has a permanent population of about 660, and Lyttelton’s new berth would help alleviate that.
Akaroa was voted top cruise port in New Zealand and Australia last season when 147,000 passengers visited.