Kiwifruit shipments top list of goods leaving port

TIED UP: The container ship Rangitata made her first call into Eastland Port last month under the temporary coastal shipping arrangement put in place after Cyclone Gabrielle. This photograph was taken the day the cruise ship Celebrity Eclipse, seen anchored in the bay, came calling. Picture supplied

Eastland Port had a busy March with the arrival of container shipping, the start of the kiwifruit season, loggers, a cruise ship and the Albatros dredge working in the bay.

The CS Trust, a 162m-long reefer vessel, arrived in mid-March to pick up 650 pallets of golden kiwifruit destined for Japan.

It was the first of six vessels due to arrive in the coming weeks to export kiwifruit from local growers.

“We are finding our feet with container shipping and starting to build up our infrastructure to be able to accommodate more refrigerated containers,” a port spokeswoman said.

“We had two visits from the Rangitata (cargo ship) in February and will continue to see her call twice a week over the coming months.

“So far she has been exporting meat, squash and bone meal. She’s on her way back from Napier as we speak with a special delivery of construction material.”

An unexpected visitor came to call during the month in the form of giant cruise ship Celebrity Eclipse, which carried around 2800 passengers.

“The last-minute request from the cruise ship was welcome, with many local businesses pleased to see her arrival,” the spokeswoman said.

“It was also a busy month for the forestry industry, with high cart-in volumes and on-port storage filling up quickly.

“Thanks to ISO Limited who loaded over 169,000 tonnes of logs across seven ships.”

The spokeswoman said the Wharf 7 project was making steady progress.

“It’s coming along nicely, with all piling now complete.

“McConnell Dowell are three quarters through the headstock pours and half the deck slabs are now in place.

“It’s quickly taking shape and we are looking forward to having it up and running again in a few months.

“We are very pleased with how the project has run so hats off to the McConnell Dowell team for their efforts.”