January volumes down but productivity up

Ports of Auckland is seeing signs of the economic slowdown with January container volumes down year-on-year.

Following a record high in December, container volumes for the month of January were 46,673, down 4.7% on the same month last year. In TEU, volumes were 63,571, down 4.2%.

Managing Director Jens Madsen said the Company remained concerned about the economic outlook.

“As flagged last month, we are gearing the business to cope with what appear to be very challenging times ahead,” Mr Madsen said.

Meanwhile, productivity at the Port's container terminals, transport and engineering divisions increased, with the teams meeting and exceeding set targets in January.

“Lifting productivity is good not just for the Ports and our employees, but for all of New Zealand’s exporters and importers,” Mr Madsen said.

“World class performance is just what the country needs in these difficult economic times.”

Mr Madsen credited a range of innovative changes to work practices at the Ports with the improvements and was confident there were more gains to be had.

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Cruise ships call in record numbers

Ports of Auckland’s Overseas Passenger Terminal is a hive of activity this week, with the Port hosting a record number of cruise ship calls.

Between Monday 9 and Sunday 15 February, 12 cruise ships will visit Auckland, shattering the previous record of nine set in February 2007.

Wayne Mills, General Manager Port Services, said February was generally a busy month for cruise ships, but that this month was “booming.”

“We are hosting 25 cruise ships in February – that is nearly one every day,” said Mr Mills.

On two days this week, there were three cruise ships in port at one time (as pictured above).

“With every call adding over $1 million on average to the regional economy, this is great news for Auckland, especially for our hospitality and tourism providers.”

Passengers being processed on and off the ships are expected to number at least 20,500.

The largest exchange was handled Tuesday (10 February), when more than 2,500 passengers, 1,000 crew and their luggage were transferred both on and off the Diamond Princess.  Totalling upwards of 7,000 people, handling such a transfer is equivalent to processing the arrival of 13 jumbo jets – and in less than 24 hours.

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Sinking ship calls Auckland

A ship was deliberately ‘sunk’ at Ports of Auckland last week.  However, for the yacht transporting ship Super Servant 4, this was business as usual.

The ship ‘sank’ alongside Fergusson container terminal, which provides a deep enough berth to accommodate the vessel designed to submerge up to 14.5 metres, and several yachts were floated on.

Operator Dockwise Yacht Transport ships more than 1,300 yachts on these ‘floating marinas’ each year, with the Super Servant 4  having the capacity to transport yachts up to 165 metres long.

The ship’s regular schedule includes calls to the Mediterranean, North West Europe, West Coast North America, the Caribbean and the South Pacific. Super Servant 4 and other similar ships call around Auckland twice a year.

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Graduate programme welcomes new members

Ports of Auckland has embarked on the third year of its successful Graduate Programme, welcoming two new members, Jesse-Lee Thomson-Cowley and Antony De Pont.

Jesse joins the Sales and Marketing team, backed by her Bachelor of Commerce with majors in Supply Chain and Operations Management  & Human Resources.

Antony will work in Terminal Operations, supported by his conjoint  Bachelor degree in Commerce and Engineering.

The new team members will be part of the programme for two years, commencing regular rotations around all areas of the business.

The first graduates accepted for the Programme, Colin Tasi and Julian Clarke, are currently finishing their final rotations at the Port, having experienced a range of work including lashing, lines handling and terminal control, and helping to achieve productivity gains through a joint 'Vessel Exchange Project'.

Meanwhile, last year's graduates, Matt Kidman and Vikrant Saraf, are progressing well through the Transport, Capacity and Planning, IT and Engineering areas.

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