April 2009 (pdf) - Port Nelson

Main Wharf South Infill
A wharf is more than just the place you tie up a vessel – the
area alongside for storage and cargo movement is just as
vital for a speedy ship turnaround. For this reason we are
embarking on the consent process to infill the area behind
Main Wharf South. Brunt Quay will remain the preferred
container berth but the development will lessen truck and
forklift trips, improve crane efficiency and enhance safety.
The expected cost of the development is in the vicinity of
$3million, with the construction period taking 6-9 months.
Cawthron is doing a report on the environmental impacts,
but these are expected to be minimal, with the loss
of seabed offset by the habitat provided by the new
structure.
We are consulting with Iwi, environment groups and
residents and also seeking their views on a public amenity
in the harbour area as part of the project. This could
be a port education centre, a jetty at the lighthouse or
some other facility that may come up as a result of the
consultation.
Supersize Shopping
It’s dirty work but someone’s got to do it…we recently sent
Andy Farmer from QuayPack and Grant Cottle from the
Workshop to Aussie to have a look at new forklifts. When
you’re spending over a million dollars it pays to get it right.
The plans are for a 32 tonne Omega 36D, primarily for
unloading timber packs into sheds, and a Hyster 18.00XMS for
QuayPack. Unfortunately the recent drop in the NZ exchange
rate has boosted the purchase price. The two new machines
are expected to arrive mid-year.
New Wharf in Use
Port Nelson Limited report. April 2009. Page 5
The newly strengthened Main Wharf North has been busy recovering the $3.4 million cost of the upgrade, with ships
berthed at this wharf more often as we enter our busy season. The wharf is proving itself for Tasman Bay Stevedores
with both cranes now able to be worked, and more room for storage and hatch cover placement. Overall there’s less
vehicle movement, we don’t have to shift the vessel along the berth during loading and we’re getting a faster vessel
turnaround.
The COSCO vessel Sils made good use of the enhanced MWN facility in March.
More Washing Up
There has been a noticeable increase in
containers needing a wash, especially dry
boxes. This is driven by demand for top grade
units for wine and dairy product loadings,
along with more ‘dirty’ import cargoes such
as fertiliser, palm kernel and salmon food
being shipped into Nelson in containers. This
means our new wash pad, completed by
contractors HEB Structures, is getting plenty
of use. The wooden and concrete blocks have
been replaced with a solid concrete surface
that is easier to clean, an added biosecurity
advantage. Forklift drivers say the new wash
bay is much easier to work, with the added spin
off of less stress on the hi-stacker spreaders.
Forklifts Go Hi-Tech
New Year is when Nelson Pine Industries has its
annual maintenance shutdown, which provided
us with a quiet time to implement the JADE
warehousing systems at QuayPack. Supervisor,
Andy Farmer reports the change has gone
extremely well: “We now scan all product as it
comes in by truck,” he explains. “Every pack is
given a date, location and is assigned a vessel,
so there’s no lost time in hunting for product.”
All credit to the IT guys with their behind the
scenes know-how and to the Quay Pack team
for their enthusiastic upskilling.
Paul Stent uses the long-range scanner mounted on his
forklift to read the code on stacked MDF packs.
port progress