Business South May 2023

| 25 T T Richard Loader Infrastructure work future-proofs port Upgrading the existing slipway will increase capacity from an 80-tonne vessel to a 150-tonne vessel. A large shed will also enable vessels to be worked on in all weathers, speeding up maintenance turnaround. Grey District Council: Port Upgrade REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT The Port of Greymouth has historically been one of the backbone transportation routes for the West Coast, but for many years servicing the West Coast’s commercial fishing fleet operation has been the Port’s primary activity. Ensuring the fishing fleet is well supported has been a key driver for a number of upgrades to the port’s infrastructure, says Port of Greymouth Group Manager of Operations Aaron Haymes. “We don’t want to lose the fishing operations from Greymouth so we need to do what we can in a cost-effective way that keeps the fishing industry alive and strong on the West Coast. One of the main upgrades has been the establishment our own dredging operation, which in the past has been carried out by an external contractor. “Every year, between 12,000 to 15,000 cubic metres of silt settles in the channels and port lagoon, filling up by half a metre. “Now we have our own excavator barge and “We don’t want to lose the fishing operations from Greymouth so we need to do what we can in a costeffective way that keeps the fishing industry alive and strong on the West Coast.” bottom dumper dredge system enabling us to maintain the depth within in the port. The dredge has been operating for over a year now and has exceeded our expectations.” Various wharves that had reached a point of dilapidation have also been replaced with floating pontoons on the east side of the lagoon, improving both safety and capacity. “The fishing vessel users really love them because they float up and down with the tide,” says Aaron. “If we get any flooding the pontoon just rises up. A third project that we’re currently working on is upgrading our existing openair slipway. Effectively we’re installing a large shed over existing slips, and that will be operational by mid- 2023.” Increasing capacity from an 80-tonne vessel to a 150-tonne vessel, the upgrade will also enable vessels to be worked on in all weathers, speeding up maintenance turnaround. “Fishing operators are quite excited about us having that facility, and we have already had a lot of interest,” says Aaron. The renovation and replacement of existing finger pen moorings in the west side of the lagoon is currently in the tender process. Reflecting on the success of the upgrade projects, Aaron says that without exception the businesses that the Port of Greymouth has worked with have been dedicated, committed and passionate about working on the West Coast. “Proform Group came in early 2022 to manage all the projects on behalf of the Port. They got the engineers, designers and potential contractors in the same room and talked through what the design would be like, with everyone contributing to the solution. “With the contractors working with the designers, we came up with a design that was efficient to build. We’ve been very lucky to complete the projects within budget, given the current climate in the construction sector. Much of the work has been funded by the Provincial Growth Fund.” The upgrades will also assist the port as it looks for new freight opportunities, and an agreement with Westland Mineral Sands has already been signed for the freight of mineral sand out from the port. “If you look at what’s happening in the North Island and the Government’s desire around developing coastal shipping, I think that the Port of Greymouth has a lot of potential to become an option for a coastal shipping port servicing the West Coast. “The port is also a major asset in terms of resilience in the event of a natural disaster closing the main freight roots from the eastern side of the alps.”

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