Port Information
Frequently Asked Questions | Glossary of Terms |
Please email any questions to education@port-tauranga.co.nz
| Q: | How many ships visit per year? |
| A: | 1,501 vessels called at Port of Tauranga for the year ended 30 June 2012. |
| Q: | How much cargo moves through the Port? |
| A: | For the year ended 30 June 2012 Port of Tauranga had 18,452,000 tonnes of cargo moved across the wharf. Included in that were 796,024 TEU. |
| Q: | What are the major types of cargo? |
| A: | Forestry, kiwifruit and dairy exports account for approximately 80% of the Port’s exports throughput. More Info >> |
| Q: | Where do most of the imports come from? |
| A: | Asia. More Info >> |
| Q: | Where do most of the exports go to? |
| A: | Asia. More Info >> |
| Q: | What is the largest vessel Port of Tauranga could accommodate? |
| A: | The largest cargo vessels to call are the "4100's" currently operated by Maersk, they are 281m. Vessels up to 290m in length are able to berth at Tauranga. The largest cruise ship to call was the Queen Elizabeth II, which was 294m. |
| Q: | How many berths are there? |
| A: | Port of Tauranga has 15 berths. More Info >> |
| Q: | What is the maximum draught? |
| A: | All vessels over 110m LOA are handled at slack tide high or low water. Maximum draught high water: 13.0m Maximum draught low water: 11.7m More Info >> |
| Q: | How many tugs does Port of Tauranga have? |
| A: | Port of Tauranga owns three tugs - Sir Robert, Te Matua and Kaimai. More Info >> |
| Q: | How much does a tug cost? |
| A: | Approximately $8-12 million. |
| Q: | What is a tug used for? |
| A: | To push and pull ships as they arrive or leave the harbour to provide for the safety of the ship, the wharf and our environment. |
| Q: | How many staff are employed by Port of Tauranga? |
| A: | 169 staff are employed as at 1 July 2012. |
| Q: | Does Port of Tauranga employ stevedores and marshallers? |
| A: | No, stevedores and marshallers are private contractors. They operate on the wharf and provide services direct to the shipping lines who call at Tauranga. Port of Tauranga is the only port in New Zealand that does not directly employ stevedores and marshallers. More Info >> |
| Q: | How many cranes does Port of Tauranga have? |
| A: | Port of Tauranga operates five cranes based at Sulphur Point. More Info >> |
| Q: | What is a reefer point and how many are there? |
| A: | A reefer point is the power supply that a refrigerated container is plugged into. Port of Tauranga has just over 1400 reefer points at Sulphur Point and 337 reefer points at Mount Maunganui. More Info >> |
| Q: | When was a port first established at Tauranga? |
| A: | The first port was officially established in 1873. More Info >> |
| Q: | How do the stevedores unload cargoes such as grain, salt and fertiliser? |
| A: | They use electronic grabs to pick up large amounts of the free flowing cargo, which is then discharged into a hopper. More Info >> |
| Q: | What is a hopper? |
| A: | It is a funnel like mobile structure that free flowing cargo is poured through. Trucks are positioned below the hopper for loading. |
| Q: | How do we know how much fertiliser has been discharged? |
| A: | Once cargoes like fertiliser are loaded into trucks, the trucks drive over our weighbridge. The weighbridge calculates the volumes of cargo that have been discharged. |
| Q: | Do we have restrictions on vessels arriving and departing through the entrance? |
| A: | The movement of shipping is based on the flow of water in and out of the harbour. Vessels are graded depending on size and manoeuvrability. This grade determines when a vessel can safely arrive or depart. More Info >> |
| Q: | What is a pilot and how do they get on board an arriving vessel? |
| A: | A pilot is a person who goes on board a vessel and guides them into or out of the Port. To be a pilot you must hold the qualification of "Master, Foreign Going". Pilots travel out to meet the arriving vessel in a pilot launch and climb a ladder hung over the side of the arriving vessel to board. |
| Q: | When is the Port open? |
| A: | The Port is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. More Info >> |
| Q: | What is the average length of time a vessel stays at the Port? |
| A: | Log vessels approximately 3 days. Container vessels approximately 10-16 hours. General vessels approximately 2 days. |
| Q: | How much land does Port of Tauranga have? |
| A: | Port of Tauranga has 115 hectares at Mount Maunganui and 72 hectares at Sulphur Point. This includes the land currently used for wharf activities and the surrounding land used by industries supporting the Port. More Info >> |
| Q: | What is a straddle carrier and how many do Port of Tauranga own? |
| A: | Port of Tauranga has 30 straddle carriers. A straddle carrier is a piece of machinery that a driver uses to pick up containers and move them around the wharf. The Port uses trucks and trailers to move containers between the rail area and the container yard. More Info >> |
| Q: | How does Port of Tauranga know how deep the channel is? |
| A: | Port of Tauranga carries out regular hydrographic echo sounding surveys of all shipping channels. This is matched with existing charts to ensure safe passage for all vessels. A designed depth is maintained by regular dredging. |