Tonnages up at Lyttelton

Press, 4 December 1981, Page 19

Tonnages up at Lyttelton

Increased tonnages have been handled at Lyttelton over the year to September 30. and the next year is expected to be even better, according to the chairman of the Lyttelton Harbour Board, Mr J. E. Mannering. The main reason for the tonnage increase was the coal exports to Japan and Korea, he said in his report for the year. This increase more than compensated for a drop in the volume of petroleum products imported into Lyttelton in the wake of a full local demand, mostly in heating fuels. The port also handled more meat and wool than in the previous year and, for the first time for several years, increased tonnages were handled by coastal rollon vessels between Lyttelton and Wellington. He hoped the upward trend would continue, “because there is still unused capacity in this service, which deserves more support from Canterbury interests,” he said. Mr Mannering praised the work of the container termi-

nal. which handled 7 per cent more containers than in the previous year, in spite of difficult trading conditions. “With more liner trades moving to containers a steady increase in volume through the terminal can be expected to continue, and the board's aim is to achieve 33.000 containers a year within the next three years." he said. The board's general manager. Mr J. A. McPhail, reported substantial increases in the handling of coal, grain, iron and steel, meat, and motor vehicles. He said that the Minister , of Energy (Mr Birch) had predicted coal exports in the year commencing April 1, 1982, of 250,000 tonnes, rising to 400,000 tonnes a year in the following three years, and reaching 500,000 tonnes in 1986. “In addition to these tonnages the Government has invited interested parties to join in the formation of a consortium for the mining and export of about 2 million tonnes a year from the Greymouth area." he said.