New plant for Lyttelton's inland port in Woolston

The Lyttelton Port of Christchurch (LPC) inland Port in Woolston, ‘CityDepot, has added three top-of-the line empty container handlers (forkhoists) to its fleet, an investment of $1.5 million.

The new container handlers complement four other container handlers that arrived last year, taking the total fleet to 15.

“A large fleet with late model machines support us in delivering exceptional service and fast turnaround to our valued customers,” said LPC Chief Executive Peter Davie. “We expect these machines to run smoother and faster, increasing productivity of the Depot and ultimately Port performance will benefit.”

The robust Swedish machines are amongst the latest models in New Zealand with the newest technology. The hydraulic and pressure systems throughout the machines are automatically monitored improving safety and reducing dust, noise and downtime for maintenance.

The state of the art machines will improve efficiency by producing increased cargo-handling rates and higher lifting capacity. Comfort for the driver is also considered with the cab being ergonomically designed with better forward vision and heated seats for cold winter days.

“We have fantastic people at CityDepot and it’s great to support them with the right machinery,” said Mr Davie.

CityDepot is a convenient and strategically placed 17 hectare site providing off-wharf support to the Port six kilometres away. The 57 staff based at CityDepot support waterfront operations including container handling to road and rail, container repairs and container storage.

In December 2014 LPC bought 27 hectares of land in Rolleston to build a second inland Port. The first stage is expected to be operational towards the middle of this year.

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