New technology to increase the safety of ships berthing at Whangarei's deep-water port has been floated into place.
A small yellow wave-buoy was positioned at the entrance to the Whangarei Harbour by Northport's crane barge Maui in a three-hour operation yesterday.
The new technology was required after two fully laden oil supertankers
hit the bottom at the entrance to the harbour earlier this year.
The Capella Voyager, on April 16, and the Eastern Honor, on July 27, both struck the bottom at the harbour entrance. The Maritime Safety Authority was investigating the incidents.
Northport marine manager Rod Fraser said the wave-buoy was the first of two parts of a system to provide readings of how ships would react to different wave conditions.
The buoy would provide accurate scientific information about the swell conditions at the harbour entrance.
"It just tells you what the waves are doing ... the height of the waves, the period between the swells and the speed they are travelling," Mr Fraser said.
The second part of the system links the buoy with computer software that predicts how ships will move in given sea conditions.
"So you know with certainty what you are dealing with," Mr Fraser said.
It would be two weeks before the second part of the system was linked up.
"The buoy has to be given time to gather data before it can be linked up," Mr Fraser said.
The buoy was tested on Tuesday and was transmitting information on the swell before it was fixed in 15m of water at the harbour entrance.
Northport is the third port to have the system, behind Port Taranaki, which has had the technology for three years, and Napier, which has used an identical system for a year.
The new system will cost about $300,000 by the time it is operational.
The project was a joint effort between the oil industry, Northport and North Tugz, Northland Regional Council (NRC) Harbourmaster Ian Niblock said.
"Really this project started after the Capella Voyager incident but inevitably it takes a wee while to get this equipment in place," he said.
Mr Fraser said advertisements had been placed in newspapers warning boat skippers the buoy was being put in place and to keep clear of it.
- NORTHERN ADVOCATE (WHANGAREI)
