Tauranga set to benefit from strikes
Strikes are not always bad - certainly not for the Port of Tauranga
Strikes are a common theme in the news this week, but they’re clearly not bad news for everyone as the Port of Tauranga will attest.
Strikes are set to take place at the Port of Auckland from the 8 - 10 December following the break down of talks between the port and the Maritime Union of New Zealand. Over half of the 580 port workers will be taking part in the strike over the use of a third party to undertake shuttle work.
But Port Strategy has learned that the Port of Tauranga looks set to benefit from Auckland’s diverted vessels calling there during the shut down.
Nigel Drake, operations manager at the port said to PS: “We are actively working with Ports of Auckland to assist through this period. Currently there are three vessels which will call at Tauranga instead of Auckland to discharge Auckland bound import cargo."
"The port is working closely with our regular callers and service providers to ensure that our productivity and service levels are maintained,” he added.
But how will the port handle this additional traffic whilst still managing the exclusion zone in place Rena incident?
Mr Drake told PS: “The new reduced three mile radius exclusion zone around Rena takes into account the fact that no cargo or containers have been lost overboard from the vessel recently. The port will continue to take all steps possible to provide safe passage for all vessels”.
Images for this article - click to enlarge
Unless otherwise stated, all images copyright © Mercator Media 2012. This does not exclude the owner's assertion of copyright over the material.
