AN INFRASTRUCTURE upgrade at New Zealand’s CentrePort is progressing with the installation of a 70-ton structure at Seaview Wharf.

The soffit – a concrete structure designed to hold the wharf in place – was recently lifted from a 250-ton crane aboard the jack-up barge Manahau.

CentrePort said the installation involved what “is believed to be the largest lift from a jack-up barge in New Zealand’s history”.

The Seaview Wharf in Wellington is being upgraded as part of the Seaview Energy Resilience Project. The wharf was damaged in the 2016 Kaikōura Earthquake.

CentrePort is working with New Zealand’s Z Energy to make the 50-year-old wharf and pipeline more resilient to earthquakes and severe weather.

The upgrade also aims to enhance adaptability to new types of fuel; once complete it would be able to accommodate different types of ships and lower-carbon fuels.

Engineering and construction company Brian Perry Civil and its barge Manahau have been working on the wharf upgrade.

Brian Perry Civil construction manager Gabriela Koneski said the company faced considerable challenges installing the soffit.

“Our window with the weather was very limited, tolerances between the pile cap holes and the piles was small, and we had many starter bars coming out of the soffit and the piles,” she said.

“It was a huge team effort, and I am so proud of what everyone delivered together.”

CentrePort general manager for ferries and bulk Andrew Steele said everyone involved in the project has shown flexibility and that the wharf is still operational.

“Brian Perry have done a great job. This lift occurred over two days while there was a fuel ship in berth, and we have a strong partnership with Brian Perry Civil and the fuel industry to minimise costs and delays on this project, while ensuring ships don’t have to wait.

“Thanks, as well, to our Mana Whenua partners [Māori with territorial rights to the land] and the local Seaview community for supporting this ongoing work.” 

The wharf upgrade is stage two of the Seaview Energy Resilience Project, slated for completion in 2024.

CentrePort expects the wharf upgrade, once finished, to improve the region’s energy security and enable the wharf to meet international standards for handling bulk fuel.

Stage three involves replacing sections of wharf line between a port road and the fuel storage terminals.