"It’s very satisfying just knowing that the economy is ticking over," Otago Regional Council chairman Andrew Noone said yesterday.
Faced with the Covid-19 pandemic, Dunedin and Otago people had earlier experienced a difficult time and much adjustment had been needed.
"It has been tough — it’s been a year like no other."
Mr Noone said agricultural production was the backbone of the New Zealand economy and was also crucial for Dunedin and Otago.
In the absence of international tourism, agricultural exports, including meat and dairy production, were paying the bills.
"That’s certainly important for the economy," he said.
After earlier uncertainties, it was encouraging to see the strategic strength of Port Otago being reaffirmed, and the port busy at the peak of the export season.
Mr Noone, who is a sheep, beef and forestry farmer at Bucklands Crossing, north of Dunedin, said the port’s gratifying economic activity showed confidence in the future.
The container vessel Sagitta left the port at 2.18pm yesterday, bound for Lyttelton, and another container vessel, Rio Negro, left at 3.54pm, on the way to Tanjung Pelepas, a container port in Malaysia.
An experienced observer of port activities contacted the Otago Daily Times and said it was "extra busy" at Port Chalmers because of the peak export season for meat and dairy.
It was "most unusual" to have two container ships at anchor together off the port, the person said.
The Spirit of Singapore, which was yesterday waiting offshore with the Rio Bravo, is due to dock at Port Otago at 6am today, having travelled from Timaru, and then bound for Napier.
A Port Otago official said Rio Bravo had arrived well before its scheduled arrival time at 6am on Thursday.
It was not uncommon for vessels to be waiting for shorter periods off the heads, sometimes to ensure the necessary visibility and water levels before entering, the official said.
