Port Taranaki, New Zealand, announced today the start of a short dredging campaign that will remove sand and sediment build-up caused by storms and other weather events this year.
According to the announcement, the hopper dredge Albatros will arrive at Port Taranaki tomorrow (20 August) for the 10-15 day campaign, which will remove infill from an area off the Main Breakwater. The material will be placed at sites within Port Taranaki’s consented drop areas.
“We undertake regular hydrographic surveys to assess the shipping channel, and our most recent survey detected an increased build-up of material near the Main Breakwater, which can be attributed to the storms, other weather events, and rough seas we have been experiencing across Taranaki and New Zealand this year,” commented Port Taranaki head of operations Captain Ashley McDonald .
“The build-up has reduced the shipping channel depth, and although it is still within safety margins, as a precaution we are carrying out the dredging work to maintain the margins and ensure the safety of the vessels entering and exiting the port,” he said.
Port Taranaki’s regular biennial maintenance dredging programme is scheduled for early next year. “This short campaign will constitute phase one of that programme, with the dredge returning in summer for phase two,” Captain McDonald added.
During the short campaign, Albatros will operate 12 hours a day during day hours, and will be visible inside the harbour close to the Main Breakwater.
Captain McDonald asked that recreational and commercial fishermen, kayakers, yachties and other water users please keep clear.