Kawatiri returns from Whanganui Port
Westport Harbour’s dredge Kawatiri is due to return to Westport Wednesday after a challenging but worthwhile week working in Whanganui.
The Kawatiri left Westport for Whanganui on Thursday 14 August and arrived in port on Friday 15 August, working to a tight timeframe around the approaching whitebait season.
The crew spent the weekend preparing for mobilisation as they awaited final parts for the new Bell pump to clear Customs and arrive onsite.
Once the parts were received, the crew worked around the clock to weld and position the floating discharge line ready for deployment.
Buller District Council Group Manager Corporate Services Paul Numan said: “In the following days, building swell conditions and strong winds meant work plans had to be halted. Considerable tidal and river runs also produced some challenging conditions for the team.”
Despite these difficulties, the crew have had several productive days getting to grips with operating the new equipment and troubleshooting issues, such as pipe blockages, as they have arisen.
Unfortunately, due to the delayed start and approaching inclement weather in the middle of this week, the decision was made to cease operations short of the planned completion timeframe to allow sufficient time for the Kawatiri to safely return to Westport.
Whanganui Port’s General Manager Geoff Evans says: “We support the decision to cut the dredging operation short for health and safety reasons, which is always our primary consideration.
“While the timeframe for this project was always going to be tight, we had confidence in this trial proceeding successfully. It is unfortunate that it has not worked out this way, but at least we have had the opportunity to trial a larger scale solution in the port basin”, says Mr Evans.
“If nothing else the trial has again identified the challenging environment we are working in, and that there is no ‘quick fix’.
“We are now looking at alternative solutions to ensure the port channel remains clear and at a depth for Q-West’s upcoming operations.”
For Buller District Council, the time spent in Whanganui has been a valuable pilot exercise using the RIF-funded Bell pump and a number of valuable learnings will be taken forward for work both back in Westport and in other ports around New Zealand.
“Once the Kawatiri returns to Westport, we will continue to test the new equipment and determine its full capability prior to our return to Whanganui Port” says Mr Numan.
-ENDS-
For further information please contact:
Community Engagement Team
Buller District Council
Media.Enquiries@bdc.govt.nz
Kate Ritani
Te Pūwaha Communications
kate.ritani@horizons.govt.nz
Disclaimer
The information in this media release was correct at time of publication. Changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of the information.