Marlborough inland port taking shape

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CONSOLIDATED HUB TO SUPPORT logistics for the primary industries of the Marlborough region is taking shape with the announcement that QuayConnect, the logistics division of Port Nelson, will develop an inland port at Riverlands, south of Blenheim.

Jaron McLeod, QuayConnect General Manager, says, “Marlborough Importers and exporters will be better served with a facility on their doorstep offering container and product storage and warehousing connected to an established logistics service.”

The Marlborough Inland Port will be located immediately adjacent to New Zealand’s largest wine bottler, WineWorks Marlborough. This will enable the efficient transfer of stock to and from the bottling plant and the use of electric tugs to reduce emissions. The Inland Port will also have storage capacity for empty and full containers, tanker and tank container (ISO) wash facilities and repairs.

The key requirement in any logistics supply chain is to remove waste. The supply chain established by QuayConnect moves empty wine bottles in trucks from Port Nelson, after they have been devanned from containers to Blenheim bottling facilities, and the trucks return with a full load of export wine. This system, established in 2017, saves approximately 1,600 tonnes of carbon a year from reduced truck movements.

The initial phase of the Marlborough Inland Port is on a 1.4-hectare site with 2.6-hectares immediately adjacent reserved for future development. The Inland Port will contain 5,000m² of warehousing for storage and packing and a facility for container operations and storage. The facility is planned to be completed by the end of 2023.

For Port Nelson, this development is part of a wider supply chain strategy to further build efficiencies and responsiveness for Marlborough’s importers and exporters so they can continue to be price-competitive on the global market.