Eastland Port – Paving the Way in Future and Environment

Aerial shot of the wharf-side log yard, and the Training Wall at Eastland Port. Photos: Eastland Port

ROBYNN HYDE LOOKS INTO WHAT MAKES EASTLAND PORT A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO THE NATION’S EXPORTS, THE GROWTH OF ITS WHARF, AND ITS FIRST MAJOR DEVELOPMENT IN OVER A CENTURY.

Originally named Tu -ranga, the city of Gisborne with a current population of 37,000 (recorded June 2020) is characterised by its water gateway. Renowned as New Zealand’s second largest export port of the nation’s log produce, it is also a thriving commercial shipping port. Last year the Taira -whiti-Gisborne region recorded 2.8 million tonnes of cargo exported, a sizeable effort considering the pandemic impact of 2020 that challenged the resilience of the port. Trading dates back to the 1820’s when European flax was traded by Ma -ori from ships in the south-west of the bay. One of the first shore traders along the river was John Harris in 1831 who set up along the western side of the Tu -ranganui River. The commodities of trade were flax, muskets, blankets and tobacco. Not long after Captain Read erected jetties on east and west sides of the river. It is on the Kaiti side of the river in 1852 where a public wharf was established; prompting the commencement of wharfage fees. The port’s debut harbourmaster and pilot arrived in 1874. With the facilitation by the Gisborne Harbour Board, the breakwater was built in the early 1900’s. It was in 1909 that Gisborne Port handled 574 vessels (majority steam with smaller portion sail) made possible due to the dredging, blasting and the breakwater development. The slipway was erected in 1926 as an area for the repair-work and reconditioning of craft. The river training wall built also in the 1920’s played an important role of directing the river run so that the flow deviates away from the port in efforts to stop levels of sediment accumulation.

With a swell in local growth in early 1960 and a population of 23,000, Gisborne was known as an extensive market hub and a city that prospered from local agricultural exports such as dairy, cattle and pigs, freezing works and agriculture, wheat, and peach trees. With further development to the port including excavation for diversion channel and the inner harbour work, it was in 1967 when overseas vessels commenced berthing at Gisborne at Wharf 7.

Eastland Group Chief Operating Officer Andrew Gaddum reflects.

Diversification is the key

A new trade chapter opened with the diversification of Gisborne’s industries: forestry, agriculture, fisheries, horticulture. With this diversification, the supply chain of Eastland Port and the Taira -whiti-Gisborne region responded by providing future centric and environment friendly facilities to meet the demands of the export chain. “By exporting more and building capability to ship more diverse products, local producers have a cheaper, easier and more environmentally friendly way to export their goods to market,” Mr Gaddum says.

Primary commodities and trades

The major trading commodities of the region are identified as agricultural outputs including beef, sheep, grain farming, while horticulture produces big yields in kiwifruit, squash, apples, citrus, macadamias, and pip fruit. Gisborne is the third largest producer of wine in New Zealand. It is the abundant forest plantation industry that underpins Gisborne as an exporter for log and wood products. Case in point being the overall performance of 2020 which records exports of 2,873,621 tonnes of logs and 17,109 tonnes collectively of squash, kiwifruit, apples, and fish.

It is the 2018/19 year that recorded exports from Eastland Port at just beneath 3 million tonnes, the majority of that being logs.

The shape of today

Eastland Port of Gisborne is a thriving port, operating as an export hub providing wharfage services, berthing, pilotage, mooring, towage, vessel hire, space facilities for customers to carry out storage, marshalling and warehousing of cargo. The port has regulated biosecurity-controlled zones and log debarking and anti-sap stain facilities are also features of the port. Eastland Port makes up part of the operation arm of Eastland Group with their shareholder being Trust Taira -whiti.

Land side features and wharf

Eastland Port has a river basin harbour with a channel depth of 9-10 metres. The port’s Wharf 7 and 8, equipped for berthing cargo and cruise vessels have a joint length of 364m. The swing basin of the port is 255m in diameter. The mean tide is 0.3m and anchorage is between 15-18m. Live tracking, shipping schedules, environment monitoring, tidal measurements and vessel pre-arrival planning are an integral part of the operations and the port has invested in latest technologies for accuracy and safety. Examples of this are the $1.8 million invested in high grade mooring system and a navigational safety upgrade. Fishing boat berthage is carried out at the inner harbour Wharf 6 (numbers 4 and and 5 now removed for future upgrade) and the Marina is available for casual and permanent hire for small vessels not exceeding 20m.

Storage facilities: log, dry, breakbulk, cool room

The Upper Log Yard is a 2.84 hectares storage space allocated to suppliers of harvested logs from the regions and surrounding forest plantations. The Upper Log Yard has a muster point and an underpass for access from the Upper Log Yard to the wharf-side log yard. The Southern Log Yard is the largest storage yard on port at over 9 ha and operates the same as the Upper Log Yard. This on port storage site provides efficiencies for outgoing exports due to its close proximity to point of loading onto vessel on Wharf 8. The wharfside storage yard is designed for multitasking, currently operating as a log storage area but is forecasted to be the future parking spot for full container loads.

The zero-store chilled storage facility is a notable feature of the port providing the benefits of temperature-controlled storage of fresh kiwifruit produce that is packed on pallets and shipped. There are two cool storage facilities that has a total cool room capacity of 12,000 tonnes. Matawhero Log Yard is another storage area of 5.7 ha which is located off port and provides capacity for the overflow from the on-port storage yard and also for new suppliers to Eastland Port. The export efficiency of logs is bolstered by Eastland Port’s own debarking station. The debarking machines remove bark from logs before export on site at the port which elevates the overall performance of output efficiencies with the added benefit of adding to jobs and economy. Logs shipped in this clean condition have another benefit – the elimination of harsh treatments that are felt by other countries exporting wood products, especially during the brown marmorated stink bug season each year. In addition to the aforementioned land features, Eastland Port boasts a primary muster station, trailer hoists, port workshop, paint locker, scaling yard, and un-chaining area. Secured areas include Customs bonded area, Quarantine bonded area, and International Ship and Ports Facility Security bonded area.

A dry store shed, office, meeting room, security hut and secondary muster station also feature. ISO Stevedore office and facility provides a unified stevedore and marshalling service. The ISO team also run a bespoke workshop on the harbour to facilitate the repairs to machinery used for loading vessels.

Investing in enviro-aware initiatives

Two storm water treatment systems operate at the port; one in the Upper Log Yard and the other at the new wharf-side storage yard. These are able to treat 50 cubic metres of water per hour each. The Upper Log Yard also has the added feature of two rain gardens which filter storm water, a compliment to the storm water treatment system optimising removal of sediment and further cleanliness to sea water. They also plan to install a third water treatment system as part of the twin berth project which will sit in the Southern Log Yard and complete the treatment of all stormwater across port. There are also two Seabins installed in the inner harbour to clean the water and collect hazard and waste material.

The port’s eco-friendly head office sits just outside of the port boundaries and runs on solar energy, and also features charging stations for electric cars. The port also boasts the largest electric vehicle in the country with the recent procurement of an electric water truck for dust suppression. The slipway will be refurbished to create a habitat for juvenile crayfish.

Infrastructure and redevelopment opportunities

Developing the Twin Berth is the long-time goal that has been taking shape and formation. The result of the development will see two 185-200 metre vessels berthing concurrently. This will be a pivotal achievement and will open up multiple lines of benefits, from jobs, improved productivity, and the ability to expand cargo exports via containers shipping. Actualising the shift to containers will be a game changer as the current export methods are restricted to log vessels, breakbulk, and road transport to alternate ports. “While logs are our primary export today, we want to create a coastal container terminal to expand the options for exporters, enabling more types of goods to be exported and imported via the blue highway,” Mr Gaddum said.

Having the ability to unload or load two vessels concurrently will bring significant a boost to port capacity, export volumes, and revenue.

The overall development plan will work in alignment with protecting the wellbeing of marine life and upholding the integrity of the sacred rock, Te-Toka-a-Taiau – as well as respecting iwi and hapu - of Tu -ranganui-aKiwa.

The upgrade to the infrastructure will see two consecutive stages of development. Stage one involves redeveloping the slipway and Wharf 7, with construction beginning in mid-2021. This is an integral stage to rebuild this section of the wharf so that it can have the support and durability to accommodate mobile cranes. Reducing and redeveloping the slipway will allow for the critical manoeuvre room for two vessels. Stage two will involve extending Wharf 8, and dredging the harbour and channel, as well as the reclamation and refurbishment of 1.5ha of the existing breakwaters.

The challenges

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the export trade out of Eastland Port and the Taira -whiti region, affecting jobs and the economy, but the port’s activity has already shown its willingness to recover. Mr Gaddum says: “Our place in the community was starkly highlighted when COVID-19 first started impacting our major export market, China. Seemingly overnight, the entire forestry supply chain came to a halt. Fortunately, exports have recovered strongly and the port is humming.” In December 2020, Eastland Port exported 262,000 Japanese Agricultural Standard or tonnes via 11 vessels. Despite the challenges, the port still concluded the 2020 year with strong figures. There will be expected minor disturbance to movement and berthing at the wharf during Stage one of the site’s redevelopment. This is due to the necessity to divert vessels to Wharf 8 causing some congestion due to the kiwi, squash, and log vessels. The port will manage this period by proactive planning and organisation.

Key Benefits from the Infrastructure Developments

Container shipping will mean mass reduction in carbon emissions

3,000 new jobs created* Increase to local economy by $250 million Boost to exports of commodities via container *includes direct and indirect jobs such as forestry and horticulture industry

2020 outcomes for Eastland Port

Loaded 2.8 million tonnes of Taira -whiti exports onto 129 cargo ships. 2,873,621 tonnes of logs exported on 118 ships 11,262 tonnes of squash exported on 6 ships. 5,098 tonnes of kiwifruit exported on 5 ships