Some day three of the world's largest containers ships are likely to be tied up at Port of Tauranga's Sulphur Point terminal at the same time.
It will mean that the container wharves, pictured above, have been lengthened another 550m - 170m towards the north and 380m south - and the
total length of the quay will be 1.15km.
A total of 12 cranes - there are five operating now - will be required to unload and load the larger container vessels carrying up to 6600 TEUs (20-foot container equivalents).
The big vessels are nearly 350m long - that's three rugby fields in a row - and the containers are stacked 18 wide, as against 13 on the biggest vessels calling at the port now.
Port of Tauranga is getting ready for the big vessels which will call at fewer ports in the country, to reduce costs and have faster turnarounds.
The port company's chief executive, Mark Cairns, told the Bay of Plenty Times "we may not see the larger container vessels for another five years, even later, but we will be dressed up for the party".
Port of Tauranga has prepared expansion plans, and within five years will have extended the northern end of the container wharf and added another crane.
And it would have started dredging the shipping channel around Mauao and through Pilot Bay - for the larger container vessels need a draught of 14.5m, instead of the present 12.5m. The first stage of the expansion will cost between $50-60 million.
Once the shipping/container demand picks up and the port gets word that it will be receiving three vessels at a time - that could still be 20 years away - it will start stage two of the expansion.
That will include completing the southern extension of the container wharf and ordering more cranes. The storage area, for containers and export products, will also be expanded.
Mr Cairns said the dredging and extra facilities would have minimal environmental effect on the harbour.
FULL PLANS, P17
