Lyttelton Port Company has a responsibility to protect our staff, Lyttelton and the wider community and to make every effort to keep our business running. We are lifeline infrastructure for the region, handling critical goods like food and fuel that keeps the Canterbury and the South Island region running.

An LPC COVID-19 Response team is meeting daily to discuss the latest updates from the Ministry of Health on the virus and any action that may need to be taken by LPC.

We are keeping our teams, contractors and visitors to LPC up-to-date with to ensure we are all following the best good health practices, and are working closely with the Canterbury District Health Board and other New Zealand ports on the response.

Increased border controls

LPC has put in place increased border controls since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak.  These have again been increased since the weekend, and now the following border controls are in place:

1. For all international cargo and fishing vessels not already in New Zealand waters at 23:59 on March 15, all shore leave for vessel crews is prohibited and crews must self-isolate onboard vessels. Crew will be required to wear face masks and maintain a safe distance if they need to interact with LPC staff.

1. We have not been accepting vessels that have been in a very high-risk area (as currently identified by WHO and the Ministry of Health) in the 14 days prior to arrival, or who have crew or passengers who have been in a very high-risk area in the 14 days prior to arrival, and this will continue.
2. All inbound vessels are required to complete an updated LPC Advance Notice Form and return it to LPC’s Marine Pilots a minimum of 12 hours before arrival.  This form identifies the recent ports of call of the vessel, the health of the crew and passengers, and the details of the movements of crew and passengers who have joined the vessel during its voyage. This form is then assessed by Canterbury DHB and LPC before the pilot boards and the decision to berth the vessel is made.

We’re working hard to make sure that we keep Canterbury supplied with vital supplies, while ensuring the well-being of our staff and the community.  We’ll continue to keep you informed as things change, and we will be working closely with Public Health authorities to make sure we follow their advice on health and border controls.

LPC Communications