New Zealand's South Port contracted Heron to remove fractured rock in the port entrance channel
South Port has contracted Heron Construction Company Ltd to remove fractured or fragmented rock that remains in the Port entrance channel from previous dredging campaigns, according to the company's release.
The work will be carried out under an existing coastal permit already issued by Environment Southland under the Resource Management Act.
This will enable South Port to remove any already blasted or fragmented rock that remains in the channel from previous ‘capital dredging’ campaigns over 40 years ago.
Blasting of the channel completed in the 1980s saw some fragmented rock unable to be retrieved due to the engineering limitations of dredging machinery available at the time.
This fractured rock is a potential impediment to planned future capital dredging operations, which are the subject of a current resource consent application.
The proposed six-week clearance work does not include any blasting activity.
Dredging is anticipated to commence between 15th and 21st August and be completed towards the end of September 2022. There are several variables associated with a project such as this, and therefore this timeline is subject to change.
Given the dredging plant remains stationary while in operation, it is expected that there will be little or no impact on commercial or recreational users of the channel.
The South Port Marine Team will be managing access to the channel for larger vessels coming into Port, with the dredging plant relocating outside the channel boundary to allow ships to navigate safely.
This short dredging project is not part of the capital dredging proposal currently going through the resource consent process. The capital dredging proposal, which is likely to include rock breaking and blasting, is scheduled to commence within the next 24 months (subject to resource consent being obtained and contractor availability).
