Picton dry dock makes sense - now more than ever

Friday, 9 November 2018

Ferry fumes are back on the Government's radar, as it opens public consultation on the MARPOL Annex VI agreement.

OPINION: Discussions are continuing on where in New Zealand to locate a new dry dock.

To me, it seems obvious that Shakespeare Bay, in Picton, is an undeniably strategic location.

It is my understanding that the biggest customers of a dry dock - the New Zealand Defence Force, KiwiRail and Strait Shipping - are all in favour of the Picton location.

Pinpointing a good location for this nationally important facility is even more imperative as our shipping industry faces some very significant changes relating to an international shipping fuel emission agreement.

This dry dock will need to include the capability to modify and upgrade our shipping fleet to take lower emission fuel because from 2020, under the MARPOL Annex VI agreement, New Zealand flagged vessels in their current state will no longer be accepted at offshore dry docks including Singapore and Australia.

To be permitted there, they'll have to have their tanks completely cleaned and replaced with low emission fuel, a costly and time-consuming task.

Currently, New Zealand is not a signatory to the agreement. In this, we are behind many of our major trading partners.

The New Zealand Shipping Federation considers methanol to be the most sensible solution to lower emissions from New Zealand's shipping industry. However, the Taranaki methanol plant may be closed by 2026. This is an issue the industry has taken up with the Government by presenting to the Environment Select Committee on the Crown Minerals (Petroleum) Amendment Bill.

When New Zealand does sign up to the MARPOL Annex VI agreement, which it should, a dry dock to convert vessels would be useful and cost-effective. Picton's Shakespeare Bay would then be a sensible location for low emission fuel bunkering – and for a dry dock.

The bay already operates around the clock as a port and as the deepest natural berth in New Zealand, minimal or no dredging would be required.

Being the Kaikōura MP, of course I back this project because of the myriad of benefits it would bring to our electorate. But this is a far bigger picture opportunity for all of New Zealand.

Building dry dock facilities in Picton to service our vessels, rather than sending them to another less suitable port in New Zealand or overseas actually brings better environmental outcomes as well as saving costs which would have been passed on to the consumer.

It all makes a great deal of sense.

Stuart Smith is the MP for the Kaikōura electorate