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Northport / Supplied
The 261m Constantinos P that docked on Sunday is North Port’s largest visitor, laden with Christmas cargo.
A stream of heavy truckloads from Northport from Whangārei to Auckland from Friday could create dangers for motorists and additional costs for consumers.
The cargoes come from the largest ship that visited North Port, Constantinos P, which docked on Sunday as a way to avoid a two-week delay in Auckland’s congested ports.
However, with the Northland rail link out of service, some in the freight industry are concerned that the exercise could create difficulties.
” That’s 2600 container movements from Whangārei to Auckland. I can tell you now, trying to book a truck locally in Auckland is difficult enough to bring the port equipment to your local customer, ” said Chris Edwards, president of the Federation of Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders.
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Other critics have raised concerns about the highway system’s ability to cope.
Trucks are being used because a major upgrade has closed the Northland rail line between Swanson and Whangarei and will be out until January.
KiwiRail said the work, which will increase rail freight capacity, could only be carried out while the line is closed.
SUPPLIED
Staff shortages in Auckland ports and global congestion issues are prompting shipping companies to consider alternatives (file photo).
As a result, drivers will need to be vigilant when trucks begin moving goods on Friday, said Nick Leggett, executive director of the Road Transportation Forum.
“Waka Kotahi and the police have asked motorists to be especially cautious of a significant increase in heavy vehicle traffic on State Highway 1 between Auckland and Whangārei over the next week, starting Friday December 11 which we fully support. “
Sunday’s visit by such a large container ship will be the first test of the argument for sharing more Auckland port capacity with Northland, an idea championed by Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones.
The forum opposes more shipments traveling to Northland, mainly because “the infrastructure just doesn’t exist,” Leggett said.
While the visit shortened delivery times for the freight involved, importers and ultimately consumers were also likely to end up paying more for the additional miles from Northport, he said.
” If you have a round trip of, say 300km, to get that container to and from where it needs to go, yes, there will be costs to the freight owners who will probably have to cover that cost. ”
Freight rates have risen sharply between countries in recent months due to global pressure on shipping lines.
A container from Shanghai to Auckland earlier in the year could have cost US $ 500 and cost US $ 2,500-3,000, Edwards said.
ANL, the shipping company that owns the Constantinos P, said in a statement that it was “confident in Northport’s capabilities and pleased to have found this solution with them.”
“Additionally, we believe Northport will be a suitable alternative gateway for North Island customers.”
