Harbour dredging starts in October

The capital dredging programme to deepen the Port of Tauranga to take the next generation of containerships calling on the New Zealand coast will begin in October.

Danish dredging company Rohde Nielsen has won the tender.


A backhoe aqua digger similar to the one that will be used at the Port of Tauranga. Picture: Rohde Nielsen.

It will deepen and widen the shipping channels from 12.9 metres to 14.5 metres depth inside the harbour and 15.8 metres outside the harbour.

A combination of trailer hopper suction dredge and backhoe will be used, says port company chief executive Mark Cairns.

'The dredging is the final building block in a $350 million capital expenditure programme over the last five years to facilitate New Zealand's exporters and importers being able to access the blue water savings of larger ships,” says Mark.

The Port has recently taken possession of two new tug boats and announced the purchase of a further two super post-panamax gantry cranes.

The dredging is expected to be completed by August 2016.

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6 comments

City beaches

Posted on 08-07-2015 07:52 | By Bruce G

So does the concent replenish our city beaches?


Bruce G rightly asks

Posted on 08-07-2015 08:37 | By Murray.Guy

Bruce G rightly asks if the consent requires the Port of Tauranga to return the sand to the harbour edges/beaches from where by majority it came. The Port activities have generated mega $millions in profits for the company and Regional Council BUT at great cost to our harbour, it's beaches and erosion. We need look no further than the impact on Pilot Bay and the failure of the Port to adequately restore and maintain, an impact that with a deeper channel and greater ship movements can only escalate. Please ask and report Sunlive.


Benefits from Harbour Dredging

Posted on 08-07-2015 17:24 | By Pamaxx

I attended the harbour dredging consent hearings and believe dredging will improve the harbour in two ways. 1. Some of the dredged material will be used to restore historical erosion from our beaches. Pilot Bay is one that will benefit, so will other beaches within the program. Benefit 2. Is less inner harbour coastline scouring due to slower tidal flows produced from a deeper, wider channel. After the inner harbour areas have been re-mediated the surplus dredging material will be spread in marked control zones along the coast. Max Lewis, Mt Maunganui.


As

Posted on 08-07-2015 19:19 | By Capt_Kaveman

Long they are not dumping the sand out at sea and restore some of the inner harbour


Thanks Max and ...

Posted on 08-07-2015 19:38 | By Murray.Guy

Are the erosion replenishment areas in the harbour marked on a map that we can see and is this an on-going remedial action required of the Port with specified time lines and measures. Recent replenishment of sand works carried out at Pilot Bay replenishment of sand have largely been undone already suggesting a more engineered approach may be necessary as carried out closer to the boat ramp?


dredge

Posted on 09-07-2015 09:43 | By dumbkof2

once again all the greenies and protesters will come out of the woodwork to have their little say


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