New dock for N.Z. exports

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34103, 16 March 1976, Page 14

New dock for N.Z. exports

(N.Z. Press Association)

WELLINGTON, A huge container terminal is to be built in London to handle exports from New Zealand and Australia.

The building of the s2om deepwater terminal was announced in Wellington by the • managing director of the Port of London Authority (Mr William Bowey).

He said work on the terminal would start next month, and it was scheduled for completion late in 1978. The new terminal will be an extension of the existing Tilbury container terminal, and will be able to handle 190,000 containers annually. The Thorndon container terminal at Wellington handled 22,969 containers last year. Mr Bowey said he expected part of the new terminal to be in use before the completion date. The 29-hectare terminal would be fully equipped with modem handling and refrigerated storage facilities, Mr Bowey said. It would be capable of being used by the largest container ships afloat or envisaged.

i The new terminal has been planned in conjunction with the A.C.T. and O.C.L. shipping consortiums, which will lease it from the Port of London Authority.

“The Port of London has a long and cherished association with Britain’s trade with New Zealand and Australia,” Mr Bowey said.

“We have no doubts about the continuing importance of this trade with the United Kingdom.” Mr Bowey said people were wrong if they believed that all the problems of developing the container trade between the United Kingdom and New Zealand were at New Zealand’s end. “We deal with 102 countries, and each one of them has its shipping problems.” Eighty per cent of New Zealand exports to the United Kingdom will be in containers in three years.

Mr Bowey will discuss plans for the new terminal with the Minister of Transport (Mr McLachlan) and the Minister of Overseas Trade 'Mr Taiboys) in Wellington tomorrow.

He will also have talks with Meat and Dairy Board leaders and top shipping executives before leaving on " r "«‘«day night for Timaru, [where he will address the [annual conference of the Harbours’ Association.