Sharp increase in container traffic

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33521, 30 April 1974, Page 2

Sharp increase in container traffic

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, April 29. Container traffic through New Zealand ports increased substantially last year, the Ports Authority announced today.

The authority's chairman (Mr J. K. McAlpine) said that containers handled at Auckland, Wellington, and the port of Otago had increased from 30,200 in 1972 to 55,600 last year.

The figures for the individual ports were: Auckland (12,300 in 1972 to 28,600 in 1973), Wellington (14,150 to 23,400), and Otago (3750 to 3620).

Mr McAlpine said another 3000 containers were handled over conventional wharves last year, taking total traffic to almost 59,000 containers.

The figures quoted include both full and empty containers equivalent in length to 20ft.

Empty . containers comprised about 25 per cent, because of the imbalance between the export and import trades.

Mr McAlpine said that last year’s marked growth resulted mainly from the increasing use of containers on the United Kingdom service.

It was clear container traffic would continue to

grow, but not necessarily at the rate of the last two years.

The Ports Authority was assessing what the traffic might be in 1980 and 1990 to ensure that adequate port facilities were available to match expected growth.

Indications were that the present figure of 56,000 containers would grow to 260,000 by 1980 — 215,000 in the North Island and 45,000 in the South Island. Mr McAlpine said the twoberth systems with two shore

cranes now being developed at Auckland and Wellington could readily cope with the estimated 1980 North Island traffic.

The authority was making a special study of port facilities necessary to cope with South Island forecast traffic. It would make recommendations on the desirable extent and siting of these facilities to the Minister of Transport (Sir Basil Arthur) as soon as its investigations were complete.