WEST COAST PORTS

Evening Star, Issue 25893, 10 September 1946, Page 5

WEST COAST PORTS

REPORT BY BRITISH ENGINEERS MEASURES TO ALLEVIATE BAR TROUBLE (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 9. The British engineers, Messrs E. J. Buckton and A. J. Clark, had made a preliminary report on the West Coast harbours, said the Minister of Marine, Mr O’Brien, to-night. Their decision was that concentration on one deepsea port for the whole of the West Coast at Point Elizabeth or elsewhere seemed impracticable. In regard to improving either Greymouth or Westport harbours,, or both, for appreciably larger vessels, it was considered that the latest Union Steam Ship Company’s types under construction would probably be the largest economically possible.

At Greymouth, the British engineers recommended the enlarging and clearing out of the existing lagoons to increase the tidal flush, and to contribute towards improving the depth on tiio bar. The recommendations also included widening the entrance by 100 ft for safer navigation, at the same time constructing a permanent gantry about 400 ft long from each tiphead. From these gantries, experimental grabline dredging would be carried out.

The Minister said that the recommendations for Westport provided for the enlarging and clearing out of the existing lagoons to increase the. tidal flush. _lt was also recommended that the width of the entrance should be decreased by 100 ft to increase the flow of water and the scour on the bar. The erection of gantries for a minimum of 250 ft on the existing moles was recommended as a method of decreasing the width of the entrance.

A thorough investigation into the efficacy of the present suction dredging was also recommended. The engineers suggested that at both Greymouth and Westport an ultimate development plan of the whole port should be prepared, incorporating, in each case, a floating basin with adequate berthage for ships out of the river channel area, with rail and road connections, and the acquisition or reservation of necessary adjoining land.

The Minister said that the preliminary report indicated that both ports were exposed and liable to be closed by bad weather, with the result that ships' working them could not run to time-table. Reserves of coal at the consuming end were essential to minimise interference with supplies by weather conditions on the West Coast.