Harbour Seabed Sampling Planned

Dozens of seabed samples will be taken from the approaches to Whangarei Harbour over the next month to help determine the cost of a possible new dredging programme.

Ian Niblock, the Northland Regional Council’s Regional Harbourmaster, says the 41.75m long barge ‘Kimahia’ is scheduled to begin sampling work on Monday. (subs: Mon 27 July)

Mr Niblock says seabed samples will be taken at three spots along a roughly 8km stretch from the start of the harbour entrance channel (the shoal patch by the fairway buoy) as well as between the Number 2 and 10 port channel markers and also at Home Point. (Mair Bank will not be sampled and will not be included in any dredging programme).

“This work – which is expected to take about a month - is part of ongoing efforts by the oil industry, Northport and the Northland Regional Council to improve safety on Whangarei Harbour. “

Mr Niblock says the industry is meeting the costs of the sampling.

He says while the approach channel is perfectly safe as it is, there is still room for improvement, particularly along its edges.

“We’d prefer to see a uniform depth of about 15m, whereas the channel edges are currently slightly less than this.

“As a group, we’re hoping the sampling will enable us to determine the cost of future dredging to achieve a more uniform depth and also smooth out some existing bends in the approach channel.”

Mr Niblock says at this stage there is no timetable for the dredging proper, although realistically it was likely to be at least 12 months away. The issue of who would pay for any dredging would be determined once more was known about the likely cost.

He says a warning ‘Notice to Mariners’ has been issued as the Kimahia will potentially be operating 24 hours a day.

“The Kimahia is almost 42m long and more than 13m wide which means it’s fairly restricted in its ability to manoeuvre so we’re advising people to give it as wide a berth as possible. “

Mr Niblock says the Council also asks that vessels pass the barge at the slowest speed safely possible so as not to cause any wake.

ENDS

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