While the Otago Regional Council resource consent hearing mainly considered the effects on and around the planned dumping sites at Heyward Point, off Aramoana spit and Shelly Beach, Port Otago is appealing the size of dredge which can be used; wanting the option in an ''emergency situation'' to use a larger vessel than its New Era dredge.
While the appeal has formally been lodged with the Environment Court, Port Otago chief executive Geoff Plunket said he was hopeful the regulatory pre-hearing mediation could see the matter resolved.
''The one condition which is, in our view, unnecessarily restrictive is 'condition five' which deals with the size of the dredge which can be used,'' he said.
Port Otago's New Era has a 600 cu m hopper capacity.
The condition in question says should a vessel with a more than 1000 cu m capacity be used, it would require additional certification for the dredge's plume of spoil, while being dumped, and would have to have no greater effects than those already authorised.
An ecologist would have to determine if increased monitoring was required to detect any effects on kelp forests and algal communities and invertebrates.
Mr Plunket said it was a ''narrow appeal'', covering just one of the 25 conditions; the others all being acceptable.
He said Port Otago had no plans to use a larger dredge, but if an ''emergency situation'' arose because New Era was unavailable, the certification would ''make it difficult, if not impossible'' to use a bigger vessel.
The effects of a larger dredge were ''not significantly different'' to a dredge of 1000 cu m capacity, and Port Otago asked the condition be changed to 2000 cu m capacity.
''Provided everyone is happy of course, it could be settled easily [in mediation],'' as opposed to an Environment Court hearing, Mr Plunket said.
Port Otago's resource consent to dump spoil at sea, for its Next Generation project to deepen and widen the shipping channel from Port Chalmers to Taiaroa Head is separate.
