[ad_1]
Northport is countering claims that the port had unexpectedly stopped operations and was returning trucks.
On Saturday, the National Association of Highway Carriers issued a warning on social media that Northport, located in Marsden Point, would cease container operations immediately.
The ad said that if the trucks were near the front of the queue, they could be serviced, but most would be rejected.
The association said the port informed them that it had exhausted its resources and that it would cease operations until Monday.
READ MORE:
* Request for rail north of Auckland when truck convoy starts moving Christmas containers
* Why State Highway 1 between Auckland and Whangārei could be clogged with trucks as of Friday
* Northland Harbor Fire: Nine Emergency Trucks Control Fire
* Safety fears more than 2,700 truck trips from a giant container ship in Northland to Auckland.
However, Northport spokesman Peter Heath said the association’s claims were “demonstrably false, unfair and loaded with agenda.”
John Bisset / Stuff
Shipping containers have been shuffled across the country as New Zealand’s major ports struggle to cope with congestion. (file photo)
Heath said the company had issued a notice on December 9, warning that the company would stop working at 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon before resuming operations on Monday.
Northport forklift drivers have reached their maximum number of working hours under the company’s fatigue management policy, according to a separate notice sent Dec. 12.
The extra work was related to the unloading of the container ship Constantinos P, which had not been able to dock in the ports of Auckland.
The ship, operated by ANL Container Lines, was originally scheduled to stop in Auckland Harbor on December 5, but congestion related to the impact of Covid-19 globally and a lack of staff meant the date was pushed back until December 22.
Once fully unloaded, 2,680 additional truck trips were set up on the highway due to ship deviation.
Northport CEO Jon Moore said the port staff had been “absolute heroes” working long hours to get the job done.
“As we said at the beginning, we have ample space for containers in our storage area, but positioning so that our container handling equipment can easily reach individual containers has been and continues to be a logistical challenge,” said Moore .
“Like the classification of the numerous trucks that arrive to collect the containers. Many of them have wanted to take a specific box and this has increased the complexity of the operation. “
Northport would refocus its attention on its regular operations, which virtually came to a halt this week while the Constantinos P was unloaded, Moore said.
New Zealand ports have struggled to cope with congestion issues in the post-Covid-19 period.
Congestion has become so severe that some shipping lines have introduced a surcharge on cargo passing through Auckland ports, in addition to shipping rates that are sometimes several times higher than usual.
There are several reasons for the delay, including a Covid-19-related delay on a major automation project at Auckland ports and a struggle to get the right staff to handle the port’s eight cranes.
Demand for consumer goods has also increased by 20-25 percent compared to last year.
The reduction in shipping to New Zealand meant there was also a shortage of empty shipping containers needed for exporters to get goods out of the country.
The executive director of the National Association of Trucking Carriers, David Aitken, was contacted for comment.
