Greymouth District Council has just acquired two additional slipway cradles from Port Nelson.
The cradles are similar to the Port’s existing older cradles. Nelson’s current slip upgrade meant that the cradles were destined for scrap. The cradles will be refurbished, fitted and painted to prolong their life before entering service and will add valuable capacity to the Grey Slipway so that multiple vessels can be slipped at the same time. The Council acquired the cradles for the scrap value plus the cost of transport to Greymouth, in time fees for their use will easily pay back the costs associated with their acquisition.
Bookings for vessel servicing at Greymouth have seen an upswing in recent weeks as boats usually serviced in Nelson are looking for spaces around the country given the Nelson slipway will be closed for the foreseeable future for redevelopment.
GDC Chief Executive Officer, Paul Morris, was pleased to have secured the additional cradles as the anticipated growth in vessel servicing bookings was now occurring. “These will be a valuable part of the Port services and current slipway expansion. It was great to take advantage of an opportunity like this, that doesn’t come along very often,” he said
Greg McDonald from Top of the South Marine Coatings was pleased to hear of the Council’s purchase, “The Nelson cradles are a welcome addition to the Port's maintenance facilities and will undoubtedly benefit the district’s marine industry,” he said.
Vessel bookings have steadily increased for the coming months and it is hoped the increased business at the slipway will see similar in local engineering and servicing companies.
