Patrick trims Port Botany operations
Asciano's Patrick ports business has temporarily scaled back its Port Botany stevedoring operations due to bad weather, delays caused by the arrival of new equipment and employee absenteeism, reported The Australian Financial Review.
Patrick has warned shipping customers that it will impose restrictions on export loading from Saturday due to a reduction in crane capacity.
Customers have been told that Patrick will reduce export loading volumes to 85 per cent of customers' average volumes for their last four voyages until its cranes are back to full capacity.
The scaleback comes as Patrick's loading operations are curtailed by the loss of one of its three berths while three new quay cranes are set up after being delivered in July.
The port operator has also suffered from equipment damage following last month's strong winds, which closed the port to commercial shipping for three days and employees being unexpectedly absent from work, which means the port has not been able to operate as many cranes as normal.
Patrick's container terminals director Alistair Field said: "As a result of the ongoing impact of delays resulting from wind events, a reduction in the number of berths available while three new quay cranes are commissioned, and other issues including employee absenteeism following the suicide of a colleague off-site earlier in the month, a temporary restriction on container volume worked has been implemented at Asciano's container terminal at Port Botany in order to return customer schedules to plan as quickly as possible.
"We are proactively reviewing progress on a daily basis, with the aim of removing the volume restriction as soon as possible."
Port Botany exports both full and empty containers and shipping lines are expected to choose to limit mostly empty containers. Containers not loaded due to the restrictions will be held in container parks for shipment at a later date.
