Ports of Auckland upgrading capacity

The Ports of Auckland has successfully relocated two 1,100-tonne cranes at the Fergusson Container Terminal to facilitate bigger ships and increase automation. The two cranes will be replaced by three newer, larger cranes at the north of the terminal, where they will be able to work with larger container ships. Engineers completed the job in between customers at the terminal. “We run a very busy terminal, so getting this job done quickly and with minimum disruption to shipping was essential,” said Ports of Auckland CEO Tony Gibson. The relocation of these three cranes mean containers can be processed more efficiently to cater to growing demand. “More people in Auckland means more imports and more shipping. This work is one part of our investment in the automation of our container terminal which will meet that growing demand,” Gibson said. “This phase of automation gives us enough capacity to handle the freight for an extra million people in Auckland – 30 to 40 years of capacity.” This partial automation of the container terminal will allow the port to handle up to 1.7 million TEU each year, enough shipping to support an Auckland population of 2.7 million. The Port says future technology will create additional capacity to serve a regional population of 5 million, more than three times current figures.