THE lack of a dry dock in this week’s New Zealand infrastructure package is “deeply disappointing”, NZ Shipping Federation president Clive Glover says.
Mr Glover said the time had come for the government to “stop talking about coastal ships and actually do something substantive to show their support”.
“A 250metre dry dock is the missing piece of the transport infrastructure jigsaw,” Mr Glover said.
“Having dry dock in New Zealand would save fuel which is obviously good for the environment,” he said.
“It would also save time and money for ship operators. It will mean that ships hulls can be easily inspected, repaired and cleaned without having to make a long and costly trip to Singapore of Sydney.”
Mr Glover said investing in a dry dock would have been a smart use of taxpayers’ money and it would pay off as a financial investment.
“It would also benefit the environment as it will ensure that international ships with dirty hulls have an out-of-water option for cleaning, rather than doing it in-water at the 12-mile limit,” he said.
Mr Glover said the Federation would continue to work to make the dry dock a reality.
New Zealand depends on coastal ships for:
- Delivery of important goods such as fuel oil and cement
- The road and rail bridge for freight and passengers between Picton and Wellington
- Moving containerised and bulk cargo around the coast when roads or railways are unusable.
