Straddle incident occurs at Port Chalmers

At approximately 1:15pm today (1 July) a straddle container carrier toppled over on the container wharf at Port Chalmers.

Port Otago staff immediately responded to this serious incident and local fire crew and St John’s ambulance staff were quickly on the scene. The driver of the straddle sustained injuries and has been hospitalised.

“Our immediate concerns are with the driver of the straddle and his family,” Port CEO Geoff Plunket said. “Latest reports from the hospital are positive.”

A full investigation of the incident is underway and Worksafe NZ is currently on-site at Port Chalmers. The straddle carrier involved is less than 18 months old and was being operated normally at the time of the incident, while weather and surface conditions were good.

The Container Terminal halted operations after the incident and will remain closed until 0700 Thursday morning so the investigation can be completed. “An incident like this has a huge impact on staff and is very distressing for all concerned. It is important to gather as much information as possible, as soon after the event as we can,” Mr Plunket said.

The cause of the incident was not immediately apparent and further details would be released when they became available. Port Otago has arranged for EAP professional support services to be available to Port Otago staff.

The temporary closure of the port will not have any significant impact on shipping services or cargo operations. Acceptance of cargo by road and rail has been delayed until Thursday morning when it is expected that normal operations will be resumed.

Ends.

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