Port details quake impact

Photo / supplied

Lyttelton Port of Christchurch says about 40 per cent of its wharves were damaged by the September 4 earthquake.

The port said an assessment showed significant damage to one of its berths and extensive sinking at Cashin Quay.

Engineers and civil maintenance staff are continuing to carry out extensive structural checks following each major aftershock.

The port resumed operation within a few hours of the earthquake and repeated today that its core services were fully operational.

Since the earthquake the container terminal has handled more volume than last year. There has been some additional pavement movement, which has resulted in one of the five truck exchange lanes being unusable. This will be repaired during the coming week.

The port has loaded more than 98,000 tonnes of coal across two coal vessels in the past two weeks and the ports' log operations continue to operate as normal. The first cruise ship for the season, the Sapphire Princess, is due on October 18.

- NZPA