Cape Bonavista made the first Lyttelton call on COSCO’s Australia New Zealand Express (ANE) service, arriving from Tauranga on 15 October.

Head of Container Terminal Operations Joe Smedley says meeting customer commitments and vessel berthing windows helps create space for new services and additional volume.

“When we meet our berthing windows, we avoid impacting the next vessel and create space for additional vessel calls and volume,” says Joe.

Three crane operations

Increased use of three cranes allows the team to move more containers within a vessel’s berthing window, helping keep vessels on schedule and avoid impacts on the next call.

Three crane operations are becoming more frequent, with 28 shifts completed so far in FY27, averaging 2.15 per week. This compares with 0.42 per week in FY26 and 1.04 per week in FY25.

The increased use of three cranes is improving productivity. Three crane operations average 447 moves per shift, compared with 289 using two cranes and 117 using one.

Container exchange up

In the week ending 11th October, the terminal exchanged 10,213 TEU, the highest weekly total in the past 12 months.

Delivering this takes coordination across the Container Terminal, from vessel scheduling and planning through to labour allocation, cargo handling, Marine services and maintenance.

It also means more people, equipment and straddle movements across the terminal, making careful planning and safe management of the operational area important.

Marti Crown was the next COSCO vessel on the service, arriving from Tauranga on 22 October.

For the latest vessel arrival and departure information, view the shipping schedule at PortControl