DREDGE OTAKAU DEPARTS

Timaru Herald, Volume CLIV, Issue 22670, 25 August 1943, Page 4

DREDGE OTAKAU DEPARTS

Work Completed At Timaru Nearly 300,000 Tons Lifted On the completion of five months’ operations at the Port of Timaru, the Otaeo Harbour Board’s dredge Otakau has returned tn Dunedin. The entrance channel to the port has been opened up, the berm alongside No. 1 wharf has been removed and the dredging of the area occupied by the old North Mole has been completed to a uniform depth of 32 feet in keeping with the rest of the harbour. “Dredging operations by’the Otakau were carried out most successfully,” the engineer to the Timaru Harbour Board •Mr B. W. Charman) remarked yesterday. Mr Charman was pleased with the work which had been done and is looking forward to the completion of the new alignment by the harbour contractor (Mr E. S. Brookes), who is maintaining good progress with the work.

A quantity of 222,030 cubic yards of material weighing 299,740 tops was removed by the Otakau. From the area occupied by the old North Mole she lifted 96,250 cubic yards (129,937 tons), from the entrance channel 68,000 cubic yards (91.800 tons), from the Benvenue leads 38.080 cubic yards (51.409 tons) and 19,700 cubic yards (26,594 tons) from the vicinity of No. 1 wharf. On March 15 the Otakau left Dunedin. arriving at Timaru the same day. Moorings were laid on March 17 arid dredging began on March 18. At times the weather caused difficulties in certrain areas, swells interrupting operations outside of the harbour, but the vessel was kept fully engaged during the whole period. Fortunately there was only one appreciable interruption —on May 10 a submerged beam threw the dredge’s buckets out of alignment. The vessel was working again with a minimum of delay.

Built in 1929, the Otakau displaces 1933 tons and, although fitted for oil fuel, was converted to coal burning at the beginning of the war. Tire tonnage of Dredge 350, in comparison, is 942. She was built in 1906. The raising of the old North Mole and the laying of the new northern alignment together with the dredging operations was an ambitious scheme which is now within sight of completion. The new harbour, with its commodious swinging-basin, has already taken shape, and, when the laying of the new alignment is finished, the Timaru Harbour Board will, no doubt, turn its attention to putting Dredge 350 in working order again.