48 | CentrePort - Seaview Resilience Project T T Richard Loader Wharf, pipeline upgrade essential The Seaview Wharf fuel facility is undergoing a significant upgrade of its infrastructure. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Located on the eastern side of Wellington Harbour, the Seaview Wharf and its pipeline are integral to the fuel supply for both Wellingtonians and the rest of the lower North Island. A critical lifeline asset for Wellington, the facility supplies all land fuel as far away North as Ohakea — encompassing about 20% of New Zealand’s population. The fuel facility is comprised of three assets including a main wharf structure and main wharf extension positioned out in the harbour and is effectively a special berth designed for fuel tankers to connect to the pipeline to discharge bulk fuel. A long, thin approach wharf with a fuel line connects the main wharf to the landside pipeline that carries the fuel to a tank farm. Now over fifty years old, since 2021 the facility has been undergoing a significant upgrade of its critical infrastructure to make it more resilient and bring it up to international standards for ship berthing and bulk fuel discharge. The Seaview Energy Resilience Project is a collaboration between CentrePort, which owns the wharfside infrastructure, and fuel companies — Z Energy, BP and Mobil — who own the fuel pipeline. CentrePort Chief Executive Anthony Delaney says upgrades to the wharf and pipeline are necessary to ensure they are as resilient as possible during an event such as an earthquake and to ensure they are future fit for lower carbon fuel types, such as biofuels, and different types of ships. “Seaview’s fuel facility has been identified as a critical regional lifeline asset for Wellington, demonstrating the importance of the work,” says Anthony. The resilience project programme of works includes three stages: Stage One Pipeline Replacement — wharf to Port Road; Stage Two Seaview Wharf Renewal; Stage Three Pipeline Replacement — Port Road to storage tanks. “The landside pipeline renewal project began early 2021 and is progressing well. Z Energy is now in the consenting stage for the Main Wharf and Approach Wharf pipeline and hope to commence work towards the end of this year or early next year.” Despite obstacles that could have threatened progress, the Seaview Wharf Renewal continues to make positive headway. “The project team has successfully addressed challenges posed by poor weather, fluctuating tides limiting access to work areas and increased shipping activity following the closure of Marsen Point. We’re pleased to say that we have been able to predominantly stay on time and to budget.” Anthony acknowledges that a strong partnership between the client, consultant and contractor has been a key factor in the project’s success so far, adding that adapting to the environment has also been a strength of the project. “Fluctuating tides affecting access to crucial work zones saw the project team demonstrate their flexibility, securing a consent amendment that enabled extended work windows. The schedule was also adapted to maximise productivity when the weather was favourable.” Other benefits include the innovative approach of constructing concrete structures off-site and barging them into position. This strategy reduced the impact of weather events on the construction timeline. “Environmental management has also gone well, effectively managing issues like noise, marine ecology and protecting local wildlife like the Korora/little blue penguins. “There has also been positive engagement with the local community to keep them well informed of the project’s progress. Members of the team have gone above and beyond to connect with the local community, including a home visit to a retired engineer who wasn’t able to attend a community boat tour of the project site due to ill health.” The current stage of the project (Stage 2) has a completion date in late 2025. The final stage, which focuses on the fuel industry’s pipeline renewal, is still under discussion.
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