The dredging of the Tauranga Harbour shipping channels is about to begin.
Danish dredging company Rohde Nielsen, the successful tenderer for the dredging project, will begin work next week.
Port of Tauranga will widen and deepen the shipping channels from 12.9m to 14.5m inside the harbour and 15.8m outside the harbour.
In a statement, the port said the dredging work represented the final building block in its five year, $350 million capital expenditure programme to become a big ship capable hub port and facilitate for its exporters and importers the blue water savings provided by larger, more efficient vessels.
The first of the two trailer suction hopper dredges, Brage R, arrived earlier in the month.
This is the smaller of the two vessels and will commence work on the channel widening. The larger of the dredging vessels, Balder R, is expected later in the year.
A blessing ceremony was held this morning on the Mount Maunganui Wharf with representatives from local iwi prior to works commencing.
Dredging is programmed to be completed by August 2016.