CentrePort Wellington has commenced consultation with local stakeholders prior to lodging resource consents in the middle of the year to deepen its shipping channel to accommodate 8,000TEU-capacity containerships.
Currently capable of accommodating 4,500TEU vessels, the port company is seeking to extend its draught from 11.5 metres to 14.5 metres by deepening the channel at both the harbour entrance and berthside.
Expected to take 10 to 20 weeks to complete, albeit probably undertaken in phases, the project would entail moving up to 8.6 million cubic metres of material. This fill is likely to be predominantly deposited at a site at Fitzroy Bay 50 metres below the sea as well as several kilometres out in Cook Strait.
CentrePort chief executive Blair O'Keeffe said the development is necessary for the port company to continue to support "thousands of businesses and jobs across the central region of New Zealand".
"Across the globe ships are getting bigger and we need to prepare for this," he said.
"It is important this region maintains strong international connections to ensure it remains competitive and can grow. The consents will be designed to prepare the region for the future and would replace existing consents which need to be updated."
It is understood the project, which will be fully funded by the port company, aligns with CentrePort's recent investment in modern port infrastructure and inland hub and rail services across central New Zealand. It is also said to align with the Government's investment in road, rail and ferries to connect Wellington with the wider central New Zealand economy.
By Iain MacIntyre