When it came to finding the right type of piles, LPC weighed up all of the options. LPC even looked at screw piles which are quieter underwater, but because of the large force cruise ships put on the wharf, screw piles wouldn’t be strong enough.

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

The redesign has helped in a big way to reduce the impact on marine life. The improvements to the wharf meant that resource consent for construction was no longer required, because the new wharf falls within the regulations of the Lyttelton Port Recovery Plan.