Ensuring Canterbury’s major import/export hub is equipped to welcome the bigger ships of the future
Guiding ships to port
Essential to Lyttelton Port's future success is the ability to allow larger vessels to call. This has required the modernisation, upgrade and expansion of the port’s navigation aids.
We provided comprehensive client representative and project management services across the entire project life cycle. Our role started with planning and concept design work for the new channel, and assessment of the existing navigation aids. We then led the process to procure and engage an international navigation aid company, managed the designer, and coordinated the design reviews required. We ran a tender process to select an installation contractor and coordinated all activities and logistics associated with international fabrication, transport, and marine installation works.
Navigating the challenges
A significant challenge on the project was managing an international design and fabrication process, with components being designed and fabricated across New Zealand, Australia, Thailand and Japan. Once fabrication was complete, marine installation works required careful sequencing and communication to ensure that the main channel remained operational at all times and the pilot team was well informed.
Points of interest
- Specialist designers from Australia were engaged to ensure that the new aids to navigation were compliant with the most recent international guidelines.
- In addition to the physical aids to navigation, upgrades to LPC’s virtual navigation aids and tide monitoring systems were also completed.
- The installation of spar buoys along the main navigation channel was very complex, requiring one of the country’s most technically challenging single crane lift configurations from a marine barge.