'Easy does it' says Northport as more ships seek to avoid Auckland

The Constantinos P has now sailed from Northport, but more want to come. Photo / Supplied

Northport says it's had more inquiries from container shipping lines keen to avoid congestion at Auckland's port.

But before it takes them any further, it will be putting under the microscope its handling this week of unloading the biggest container vessel ever to tie up at its wharves.

The full review will include the logistics of transferring 1170 containers to trucks bound for Auckland, a job now unfolding at the port today and over the next five or six days, and feedback from NZ Police and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.

Extra police are on the highway between Whangārei and Auckland to monitor the heavy truck traffic taking containers loaded with Christmas goods from the northern deepwater port.

At first blush, Northport - a joint venture between listed Port of Tauranga and Marsden Maritime Holdings, of which Ports of Auckland is a 20 per cent shareholder - said it passed with flying colours its first test of handling big container volumes from the Constantinos P at pace in the challenge to get Christmas goods to Auckland stores.

All industry eyes are now on whether it will continue to punch above its weight given the ongoing unloading delays of up to 10 days at Auckland, the country's main import gateway, and the container spillover clogging Port of Tauranga and the upper North Island supply chain.

While Northport is a small container port compared to the primary Tauranga and Auckland ports, its board has been saying for some time it needs to be part of a strong, resilient upper North Island supply chain, supporting freight players in the so-called "golden economic triangle" of Auckland, Waikato and Tauranga.

Northport's big visitor this week can carry 4500 containers. It was hauling containers from China and North Asia and if Northport had not accepted it, the vessel would have had to wait until at least December 22 to be unloaded at Auckland, its usual first stop in New Zealand before continuing on to drop boxes at ports further south.

It had been due to tie up in Auckland last Sunday. Shipping line ANL instead sent the vessel to Northport on Sunday with all containers on board to be landed there.

Containers were released by the port to freight forwarders this morning.

Northport has big marine-based economic development plans for Northland, including luring a national shipyard and dry dock servicing project and the NZ Navy base to its neighbourhood.

While Northport chairman Murray Jagger notes the port is just 130km from Auckland, some sector players are quick to point out the rail and road infrastructure is not in place to support the growth of container operations there.

The road between Northport and Auckland is described as "fragile", even by Northport development supporters.

But recently the task of getting back to Auckland imports dropped at Tauranga by ships avoiding Auckland's delays, and new shipping line congestion charges imposed on Auckland import containers, have thrown up new questions about previous arguments against Northport.

Meanwhile, the port company has re-iterated the argument that while the current freight issues might be unprecedented, they underline the need "for a resilient and geographically astute upper North Island supply chain strategy that makes best use of the three existing ports that already serve the region".

"This, in turn, calls for continued central government investment in, and upgrading of, road, rail and coastal shipping infrastructure," a spokesman said.