Port Slipway & Pontoons
The Grey District Council Port infrastructure upgrade, has been funded by the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF).
Three key projects for improvement include:
- The new dredge to reduce maintenance costs and improve vessel access
- The bigger slipway capacity and shed
- The new floating pontoons to replace the aging pens and improve vessel accessibility
These improvements are fantastic as they will add new jobs and extend the capability in our region without adding the significant cost to the Council and ratepayer.
Pontoons
The floating pontoons improve the condition of the available berthage and the dredge will ensure that the lagoon is always capable of providing safe harbour to the expanded number of vessels.
The floating pontoons have been installed along the eastern bank of the lagoon. Constructed in the North Island, they were installed by local contractors. Although these don’t provide direct vehicle access or easy loading/unloading options these may be facilitated should improvements to the Blaketown Wharf be given the go ahead in the future.
Slipway Project Story
The Port of Greymouth has historically been one of the backbone transportation routes for the West Coast, but for many years servicing the West Coast’s commercial fishing fleet operation has been the Port’s primary activity. The further development of the slipway facility will not only maintain that but provide a catalyst for further industry to develop.
In order to get the best solution for the West Coast it was obvious that solution was better to be designed and delivered by the people and businesses of the West Coast from the steel beam sizes to the type of screws and the width of the doors. Everything even the paint colour was discussed by five Greymouth businesses, some engineers and a project manager who supplied the chocolate biscuits.
The project originally started in late 2018 which admittedly was a different environment pre-covid. The initial project scope was ambitious, highly undesirable, and was estimated in excess of $4M above the available funding. A redesign of the scope was required to meet minimum requirements and budget whilst meeting local industry needs. Material costs had effectively doubled during Covid and supply chain constraints. The Project Managers, Proform Group, came in early 2022 to manage all the projects on behalf of the Port to use the funding to achieve the best possible benefit to the region, within a year and for many years to come.
They invited the engineers, designers and potential contractors into the same room and talked through what the design would be like, with everyone contributing to the solution. The contractors worked alongside the designers, to agree a design that was efficient to build and resilient in the West Coast environment. To achieve a tangible benefit to the region, the project was scaled down to three physical outcomes. A sheltered workspace big enough for bigger vessels, a cradle big enough to handle bigger vessels and new winch to assure vessel owners their investments were safe on dry land. The time available to undertake work was also particularly constrained. Funding from the Provincial Growth Fund would be withdrawn if not “substantially underway” by Dec 2022.
GDC was fortunate to engage with sufficient engineering companies within Greymouth. Working collaboratively was the only way to meet the delivery timeframe in an extremely busy and resource scarce period in the local market. An informal and highly collaborative approach to design and constructability provided a shortened, cost-effective design phase. Standard procurement requirements were met with an open tender, and a lead contractor was awarded the contract to deliver the critical structure to enable the development of the 18m high shed. This is as high as legally allowed so close to the Greymouth Aerodrome. The shed provides a more dependable working environment for sandblasting, welding, and painting large vessels.
The reduced cost of providing ‘the minimal viable product’ meant the remaining funding was provided to upgrading our existing slipway structure capacity from an 80-tonne vessel to a 150-tonne vessel. This has required the fabrication of an 36T cradle capable of safely slipping a larger vessel over ‘the hump’ and into the shed.
The replacement of the 2nd slipway rail was required to allow the existing 2 slipway cradles to be used simultaneously, effectively providing space for 3 vessels to be worked on in the slipway at any time. This overall upgrade will also enable vessels to be worked on in all weathers, speeding up maintenance turnaround, and providing more work for the servicing trades.
Port Manager Franco Horridge admitted he’s never had to manage three vessels being worked on at the slipway but confessed “it would be a great problem to have”. “The increase in ability to sandblast and paint in a more controlled environment and handle a wider range of vessels is going to keep local businesses busier, which is another good problem to have.”
The upgrades will also assist the port as it looks for new freight and boat building/servicing opportunities. Several agreements are in negotiation with Westland Mineral Sands already signed for the freight of mineral sand out from the port. Additional resources will be required. Cartage and Storage of materials for servicing contractors, wear and tear on infrastructure and increased use of the slipway are all welcomed consequences of this Provincial Growth Fund investment.
Reflecting on the success of the upgrade projects, without exception the businesses that the Port of Greymouth has worked with have been dedicated, committed and passionate about what they do, what they are achieving and being part of West Coast history.
