[ad_1]
The beleaguered Auckland Ports Chief has appeared before Auckland City Council for questioning about increasing shipping delays.
Auckland’s ports are wholly owned by the council, and today CEO Tony Gibson answered questions about the long wait times for ships to be processed.
The average waiting time is now eight days and there are now five ships waiting in the Hauraki Gulf to access the ports, compared to 11 at the weekend.
Gibson today described the difficult year the port has had, with business completely disrupted by Covid-19.
“It’s not just the recovery of the port, it’s the entire supply chain,” he said.
He faced a host of questions from councilors related to delays, but also security, with several deaths related to Auckland’s ports in recent years.
Gibson admitted that there was a problem with security.
“We have, and we recognize, a problem with our safety culture.”
Mayor Phil Goff asked if the delays were solely due to Covid-19 and if things were slower now than last year.
Gibson said the number of containers unloaded on average each day, compared to the same time last year, dropped, a drop to 25 compared to 30 a year ago.
“Fewer vessels but much larger exchanges, which puts pressure on the workforce.”
That was attributed to a change in the port’s automation process, which has faced ongoing problems.
