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  • Project Map

Learn more about the Port, and all the projects we are working on.

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Ongoing
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Norwich Quay administration building site development

The building has been demolished and the area resurfaced

The former LPC administration building on the corner of Norwich Quay and Dublin Street suffered structural damage in the 2010/11 earthquakes. Since then the building has been removed, the area and resurfaced and repurposed to house LPC Maintenance facilities.

LPC Civil maintenance relocated to its new offices and workshop precinct in August 2016.

The new facility includes dedicated offices for administration staff, off street parking and an on-site training room and workshop, previously based in the Inner Harbour between Jetties 5 and 6.

The Civil Maintenance workshop meets the latest safety standards and it’s administration offices include modern standing decks. The new training room is equipped with a projector, enabling staff to complete professional development and refresher courses on site.

Building begins on new cruise ship berth

A new $56 million cruise ship berth is being constructed in Lyttelton.

Cruise ships are one step closer to returning to Lyttelton Harbour, as construction is underway on the new cruise berth.

This will be New Zealand’s first ever custom-built cruise ship facility and will bring the world’s largest cruise ships to Canterbury.

Before the earthquakes in 2010/2011, cruise ships were able to berth in Lyttelton Harbour. This new facility will see a return to cruise tourists in Canterbury, but will now be able to accommodate the world’s largest cruise ship, which is 362 metres long and carries more than 8,000 passengers and crew.

The cruise berth is set to open for the 2020/2021 summer cruise season and will provide an attractive arrival experience for cruise ship visitors and a boost for Canterbury’s tourism industry as well as retail businesses in Christchurch.

The cruise berth is an important part of the Lyttelton Port Recovery Plan developed in consultation with the community and approved by the Minister for Earthquake Recovery in 2015.

The cruise berth will be located between Cashin Quay and the entrance to the Inner Harbour.

 

Designing a cruise berth for Lyttelton Harbour’s environment

Engineers have designed a berth that will withstand significant seismic events and ensure ships are safe in the wind and waves, especially the southerly storms and gusty north-west winds that can buffet this area.

The cruise berth was redesigned following LPC’s research into the potential impact on marine life. This research revealed that the effects of noise from large piles, used in the original design, on Hector’s dolphins could not be easily mitigated to acceptable levels. The new design uses much smaller piles. Modelling from our consultant AECOM’s acoustic engineers, shows underwater sound energy per pile is now 100 times less, and the potentially affected area of the harbour has reduced by more than 90 per cent.

When it came to finding the right type of piles for job, we weighed up all of the options. We looked at screw piles which are quieter underwater, but because of the large force cruise ships put on the wharf, screw piles are not an option.

We are using driven tubular steel piles because their strength will make sure that the wharf can withstand severe weather when a large cruise ship is berthed at the wharf. We also had to make sure the piles would be strong enough to withstand an earthquake.

Once the new design was complete, we went to revisit our resource consent application and realised the new design fell within the regulations of the Lyttelton Port Recovery Plan. This means it no longer required consent. We did apply for, and have received, a Certificate of Compliance for the new design.

Even though consent is no longer required, LPC will continue to implement similar marine mammal mitigation measures developed and approved in the hearing process of the new container wharf at Cashin Quay.

 

Protecting the marine environment

Prior to marine piling beginning, we will prepare a Marine Piling Management Plan. This plan will ensure best practicable mitigation measures are in place to minimise effects on marine mammals from noise levels.

Dr Deanna Clement, from New Zealand’s largest independent science organisation – the Cawthron Institute – will write the Marine Piling Management Plan, and she is working closely with Environment Canterbury and Department of Conservation.

The plan will put measures in place to further mitigate the remaining levels of underwater effects on Hector’s dolphins, such as:

  • Soft starts with power gradually increased at the beginning of the day and after any break in piling. This will allow marine mammals to vacate the area before the full energy is applied to the pile.
  • A safety zone around the works will be marked with designated and trained observers helping to ensure marine mammals are detected within the safety zones. If a marine mammal is spotted within the zone, piling cannot be undertaken.
  • Establish appropriate measures to log dolphin sightings.
  • Control all vessel movements in proximity to marine mammals.

 

Our comprehensive research into Hector’s dolphin – The first of its kind

Dr Deanna Clement conducting research in Lyttelton Harbour

To date we have undertaken and supported a significant amount of research into Hector’s dolphins within both the harbour and further offshore with some of New Zealand’s leading marine mammal experts.

Initial research began in 2015 when LPC supported marine mammal researcher and University of Otago Professor Steve Dawson, to monitor the underwater noise and movements of Hector’s dolphins in the Port during part of the Cashin Quay 2 wharf development.

Before Prof Dawson’s research little was known in this area about Hector’s dolphins’ response to underwater noise. It was this crucial research that led LPC onto a path to better understand how its developments can potentially impact marine mammals.

LPC needed to learn more about Hector’s dolphins’ environment, and in October 2016 it installed 14 water quality monitors in the Port. These monitors continuously record the water quality and have helped the company to gain further knowledge on the environment Hector’s dolphins live in, and what conditions they may prefer.

In January 2017, a four acoustic monitoring buoys were installed, with the help of the Cawthron Institute, including marine mammal expert Dr Deanna Clement, Styles Group and Vision Environment, to collect more than a years’ worth of data on Hector’s dolphins’ movements around the harbour – day and night, and in good and bad weather conditions.

These devices are best described as microphones under the sea. Preliminary data shows there is more dolphin activity near the heads of the harbour, and peak times for Hector’s dolphin activity in the upper harbour is overnight, from late afternoon till early morning.

In January 2018, LPC installed four more acoustic monitoring buoys adjacent to the cruise berth.  Six months later additional underwater devices were installed to record the total level of noise in the harbour. This next phase of research will include recording noise in the harbour from boats, ships and port activities. Matching this with the baseline data from the past 18 months will create a more precise picture of how Hector’s dolphins respond to underwater noise.

Dr Clement is one of New Zealand’s foremost experts on Hector’s dolphin habitat preferences and their distribution patterns in relation to environmental influences. She has been commissioned to produce LPC’s Marine Piling Management Plan, which will ensure the best practicable mitigation measures are in place to minimise effects on marine mammals from noise related to marine pile driving during the construction of the cruise berth.

Along with others, Dr Clement recently completed the most intensive marine aerial survey ever conducted in New Zealand. This work was commissioned by Department of Conservation and the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) to update the population abundance and distribution for Hector’s dolphins around the South Island. The final results of this work received a landmark endorsement from the International Whaling Committee (IWC) at its annual meeting in June 2016.

LPC and Dr Clement hope the research currently being undertaken will eventually assist in developing national guidelines for marine activities, such as pile driving which is specific to Hector’s dolphins and potentially other mammal species. Overseas standards exist, and are used here, but they may not be relevant to New Zealand’s marine environment.

 

The ‘jewel in the crown’ for the cruise industry

NZ Cruise Association Chairman Debbie Summers (pictured) says the construction of the cruise berth is a positive signal to the cruise industry, which is looking forward to once again having the harbourside town as a future destination.

“There’s nothing better than the amazing vibe that cruise tourism brings. Tourists will be excited to visit Akaroa, Lyttelton, Christchurch and the wider Canterbury region on their travels,” she said.

International figures show that around 40 per cent of cruise guests return to destinations their cruise had visited.

“We have 350,000 cruise guests coming through New Zealand next season, the likelihood of them coming back is high – with over 50 per cent of them being Australian,” she said.

“They will come back as return guests because spending only a few hours in Lyttelton will not be enough – it’s purely a taste of what the region has to offer.

“Retailers should be excited about the cruise berth, especially hire car companies, tour operators, ship provedors, cafes, shops and restaurants, which are all set to benefit from the cruise guests and crew members that will come to the region.

“The industry is ready for this cruise berth, and Lyttelton could well be the jewel in the crown for New Zealand.”

For live updates on piling times and blogs on the daily activities around the new cruise berth development and channel deepening projects, visit www.lpcharbourwatch.co.nz

Upgrade of existing oil berth construction – early 2019

Lyttelton Port is the major bulk fuel terminal for the South Island, importing over a million tonnes of bulk fuel (petroleum, LPC, methanol and bitumen) each year.

The upgrade of the oil berth will service 135 bulk fuel vessels that visit the Port each year.

Dry Dock - new pumphouse

One of only two Dry Docks in New Zealand and the only in the South Island, LPC’s Dry Dock opened in January 1883 and is still regularly used by a wide variety of vessels.

After being badly damaged in the 2010/11 Canterbury earthquakes the original pumphouse building was subsequently demolished, leaving the pumping equipment in tact. The project to construct a new 105 square metre pumphouse began in May 2016 and was completed in September 2016.

The ground floor of the new building houses the two pump drive units which remove water from the Dry Dock when the cassion (gate) is firmly in place, all electrical equipment and a workshop area. Key facilities on the second floor include the Dock Master’s quarters with a washroom, shower, toilet, kitchen and office. Two weathertight, stainless steel lids on the upper deck keep the pumps dry but can be easily removed when the pumps are being serviced.

Recycled wharf timbers were used in the construction of the balcony railing.

Te Ana Marina

Rich Heritage, New Life

Te Ana Marina is breathing life back into Lyttelton’s west side waterfront. Set between two traditional sites, Ōhinehou and Te Ana o Huikai, Te Ana Marina is Canterbury’s only walk-on floating marina. Of the 170 berths, more than 140 have already been leased and house various boats from powerboats, to mono-hull yachts, catamarans and launches. Boat owners are encouraged to contact Te Ana Marina should they wish to license a berth.

Te Ana Marina is Lyttelton Port Company’s first step toward regenerating the inner harbour as a vibrant community-focused destination with connections to the Lyttelton township.

For more information on berths visit www.teanamarina.co.nz.

Woolstore

As part of stage one of the commercial development, the existing Woolstore adjacent to the waterfront, has been strengthened and upgraded as part of the marina’s development and many of the unique characteristics of the original building have been retained. The building is now called the Woolstore.

The Woolstore includes 720 square metres of ground floor space in a range of flexible tenancy sizes and up to a maximum of 400 square metres in any one tenancy. Every ground floor tenant will have expansive views over the marina and will benefit from a captive audience of marina users as well as a pedestrian link connecting Te Ana Marina to Lyttelton.

The marina’s administration offices, berth-holder amenities and public washroom facilities will also be accommodated at the Woolstore.

For more information visit www.teanamarina.co.nz.

Jetty 7 earthquake damage repairs

Repairs to Jetty 7 are well underway, and work to the western edge has finished which will benefit the inshore fishing fleet.

Repairs to the outer end of the jetty will finish in late 2018.

Jetties 4, 5 and 6 - eventual demolition

Jetties 4, 5 and 6 will eventually be demolished.

A demolition trial of some of the piles of Jetty 4 has been undertaken to ensure the best methodology is chosen for extraction of the piles and the demolition of the jetties.

Log yard improvements

These improvements mean better service for port users and customers - as well as a better environment for the local community

A project to reseal the 15,000 square metre log storage area in front of Norwich Quay in Lyttelton was completed in June 2016.

The resealing has provided a fit for purpose all-weather log yard, with reduced dust effects and ensures a high quality of storm water treatment.

Waterfront House

LPC’s Waterfront House opened in January 2018. For the first time Operations, Administration and Management teams are together under one roof along with the company’s reception.

Included in the new facility is a state-of-the-art control room where the Logistics Team plan and direct the container, straddle and crane operations.

New Crane arrives at Lyttelton Port

The new crane arrived on 7 May 2017 and was transported to an area behind Cashin Quay 1 wharf for assembly.

LPC’s new state of the art Liebherr crane arrived from Ireland on board the MV Langeoog at Cashin Quay 2 (CQ2) on Sunday 7th May 2017.

It will have a fibre optic connection to the Container Terminal which will help diagnose any faults. The new crane is expected to be operational by the end of July 2017.

Check out a short video of the crane arriving by ship and being unloaded https://www.lpc.co.nz/lpc-welcomes-new-crane-5/

Lyttelton Port Container Terminal already has four other ship to shore cranes. They enhance safe, reliable service, turning vessels around in the shortest possible time.

In August 2014 a new $12 million ship to shore gantry crane began operating at LPC, supporting faster container transfers and increased productivity. This crane, the Liebherr Super Post Panamax ship-to-shore, has a reach up to 18 containers wide, a lift capacity of 70 tonnes, and can service vessels up to 8,000 TEUs (twenty foot equivalent containers).

Like Crane 5, Crane 4 was also constructed in Ireland by specialist German manufacturer Liebherr.

Video: timelapse of Crane 4 construction

Cashin Quay 2 wharf rebuild

The new Cashin Quay 2 wharf is an important part of the long term plan to ensure we have a thriving port that supports the growing Canterbury economy.

LPC has completed the rebuild of one of Lyttelton Port’s main wharves, Cashin Quay 2.

The 230 metre long wharf was severely damaged during the earthquakes and has been rebuilt to be a stronger, deeper and more resilient structure.

The wharf increases the Container Terminal’s capacity, boosting the number of berths available to container ships and providing increased efficiency.

View highlights from the official opening in February 2016 here

Te Awaparahi Bay Reclamation

Following the earthquake in February 2011, the government approved the 10-hectare reclamation at Lyttelton Port using rubble from Christchurch’s earthquake building demolition. The process has given Christchurch a practical way to deal with some of the estimated 8.5 million tonnes of rubble and material from the earthquake. It has saved Christchurch and the wider Canterbury region over $100 million in dumping costs, whilst also expanding port infrastructure to support forecast growth in containerised cargo.

Space has become particularly critical since the earthquakes and our 10-hectare reclamation has provided critical port infrastructure which is required to support our rebuild programme.

The multi-million dollar project to expand the reclamation area and construct a new wharf is set to begin in late-2018, which is critical to enable the Port to support the forecast growth in the container trade.

Resource consent for the reclamation at Te Awaparahi Bay was granted by Environment Canterbury in January 2018.

LPC Chief Executive Peter Davie said, “Our resource consent application was one of the largest ever submitted for reclamation of land in New Zealand in the last 25 years.”

“In June 2017, the reclamation at Te Awaparahi Bay reached 10 hectares. The granting of the resource consent now allows us to expand the reclamation by a further 24 hectares and to construct 700 metres of new wharf.”

‘About 3 million cubic metres of rock will be quarried and relocated to Te Awaparahi Bay to ultimately expand the reclamation to 34 metres.

As with any expansion project, our priority is to ensure we achieve a balance of what is best for the environment, our community and the growing regional economy. We are currently working with the Department of Conservation to develop a Lizard Management Plan and gain a wildlife permit to handle and relocate native lizards that may be living in the quarry area.

Port Talk

Port Talk is open on Fridays between 11am and 1pm.

LPC has established an information centre, called Port Talk, in the Lyttelton Township. It’s a place where the community can come and ask questions about the Lyttelton Port Recovery Plan, provide feedback, and get updates about what’s happening at the Port.

Port Talk is on the corner of Oxford and London Street and has an LPC representative present on Fridays between 11am and 1pm.

 

Jetty 2 and Jetty 3 - repair and upgrade

Necessary wharf repairs and an upgrade on Jetties 2 and 3 is currently underway and is expected to be complete early 2017.

The works require the temporary closure of Oxford Street overbridge and access to the in-shore end of the jetties will be restricted to ensure safety.

More information on the Oxford Street overbridge closure is here.

Upgrading the wharf is important to provide the quality of port services our region needs

Channel Deepening Project

November 2018

One of the world’s largest dredges, the Fairway, arrived in Lyttelton in August this year to commence the Channel Deepening Project.

The full project work will occur in stages and the first stage took approximately 12 weeks to complete.  In the first stage the existing shipping channel was lengthened by approximately 2.5 km, widened by 20 metres and deepened by approximately two metres. The dredged sediment was relocated to a designated 2.5 x 5 km spoil ground located approximately 5 km off Godley Head. Future stages will allow unrestricted sailing for 14.5 metre draught vessels across all tides.

The project represents an investment in the future viability of the Port, and our ability to continue to attract major international shipping lines and accommodate larger cargo ships.

The channel deepening will provide Canterbury’s importers and exporters the best possible and most-cost effective international shipping solutions.

With a 50 per cent forecast in trade growth through Lyttelton, it is important this dredging project occurs – not just for the Port but for the Canterbury and wider New Zealand economy.

In anticipation of the channel deepening, we have implemented the largest environmental monitoring programme ever undertaken for a New Zealand dredging project.

Our Harbour Watch website provides real-time data as part of the company’s water-quality monitoring project, www.lpcharbourwatch.co.nz

The Fairway

One of the world’s largest dredges, the Fairway, collectd silt from the seabed of the harbour, as it worked to lengthen, widen and deepen the shipping channel in Lyttelton Harbour..

The first stage of the dredging programme was awarded to Netherlands-based contractor Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. – a global operator with more than 100 years’ experience.  Built in 1997, the Fairway is one of Boskalis’ 30 trailing suction hopper dredges.

The Fairway made the journey to Lyttelton from Mumbai, India, after completing its latest project – and made a stop in Singapore for a thorough clean before heading to Lyttelton Harbour.

Learn more about the project

Take a look at these videos which explain why we are dredging, how dredging works and how we will ensure the health of the harbour and marine life.

Channel Deepening Project – Part 1

Channel Deepening Project – Part 2

Channel Deepening Project – Part 3

The channel and disposal site

 

 

The channel depth

The first dredge ship came to Lyttelton Port in 1880 and every year since dredging has occurred in Lyttelton Harbour /Whakaraupō. Dredging ensures ships can safely enter and exit the harbour. The harbour has a natural depth of 5-12 metres, but successive dredging projects have created a shipping channel with a consistent depth of 12.5m.

Over the last 10 years the size of container ships internationally has virtually doubled. With 99 percent of New Zealand’s freight carried by sea, this dredging project is essential so we can continue to provide efficient transport services for the region.

 

 

 

How dredging works

Dredging is an underwater excavation process, using a specialised ship, to remove sediment from the channel and deposit it at an offshore disposal ground.



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