| 21 T T Virginia Wright Vibrant port continuing to thrive The commercial wharves have just been refurbished and other port facilities, including its floating pontoon marina, are about to be upgraded to the tune of nearly $5 million. Westport Harbour REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Domonic Venz will have been Harbourmaster of Westport Harbour for two years come July after a lifetime of association with the sea and many of its industries. He has spent years at sea operating vessels in industries such as deep-sea fishing, whale watching and working with ROVs (remote operated vehicles) to patrol our deep-sea cables. Along the way, Domonic completed all his maritime tickets, taught at Nelson Polytech and spent over 20 years working for Maritime New Zealand in a number of different roles from investigator to manager of compliance for the South Island. Part of his Westport role is managing the wider space around port operations, including working with clients and increasing the port’s revenue, along with his Harbourmaster duties, which involve Iooking after the navigational safety of all vessels using the port and the harbour. Like Greymouth, Westport Harbour has a bar that requires careful consideration, especially when dealing with larger ships and barges. But Domonic is quick to point out: “We have a river that doesn’t normally run as fast as the Grey River, we’re sheltered by Cape Foulwind, and the bar is facing north. It still needs to be treated with respect, and operators need to gather as much information about the current conditions as possible prior to crossing.” Whether it’s shipping containers, or bulk products from extractive industries such as aggregate or mineral sand that need to go out, or heavy machinery such as trucks and diggers to bring in, Domonic says the port is a good option for companies with large loads they would otherwise have to truck over the alpine passes. “You can move a large amount through the port, such as a fully laden ship carrying 7000 tonne, which is an awful lot of truckloads,” he points out. Transshipping from international ports elsewhere in the country stacks up as well, whether it’s using a standard ship, self-propelled barge, or tug and barge as was used in the past, says Domonic. “In the past couple of decades, they used to load coal on to a barge here and tow it out the gap and straight across to Australia. It’s handy if you want to get your gear on to the coast pretty quickly, and we can work with you to be safe and smart about what you’re doing.” Building up the commercial side of the business is part and parcel of Domonic’s role, and he would like to see more industries taking advantage of what Westport Harbour has to offer, especially as the commercial wharves have just been refurbished and other port facilities, including its floating pontoon marina, are about to be upgraded to the tune of nearly $5 million. Four improvement initiatives have been approved, with funding to be provided by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Kānoa – Regional Economic Development and Investment Unit alongside co-funding from Development West Coast. The marina extension component of this work will see more jetties built to provide additional berths, along with other projects that will contribute to the regional strategy for earthquake recovery. In the event that the Alpine Fault fulfils the 75% likelihood of producing a magnitude 8 earthquake in the next 50 years, Westport Harbour will be ready to play a vital role in supporting the local community, which could be cut off for months due to rock falls compromising road and rail access. “We will be dredging a channel in the floating basin that will allow direct access to a planned concrete roll-on roll-off ramp, which means vessels with bow-loading capability will be able to unload trucks and supplies for the region straight on to the local road network,” Domonic explains. Already a vibrant commercial fishing port, these Civil Defence-aligned improvement works will also offer benefits for commercial and recreational users, making Westport Harbour an attractive proposition for other industries looking for efficient transport options. RICK@AVANT.NZ contact us! 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