Listed Lyttelton Port of Christchurch (LPC) has lodged resource consent applications to deepen its navigation channel for larger vessels, at a cost of up to $100 million; a process Port Otago hopes to follow during the next few months.
LPC, in which rival Port Otago snared a sale-blocking 15% stake for $37 million more than three years ago, wants to deepen the channel to enable larger ship access to the port over the full tidal range, chief executive Peter Davie said in a statement yesterday.
"The international trend is for ships to get bigger, carrying more cargo, to reduce the cost per container," Mr Davie said in the statement.
Similarly, Port Otago will release documents for public consultation in early February, before making its own application to the Otago Regional Council on channel deepening.
Port Otago announced in August 2007 its intention to seek widening and deepening of the shipping channel into Port Chalmers.
LPC has completed more than two years' investigation into the effects of dredging, alongside community consultation, and has concluded the effects "will not be significant", Mr Davie said.
LPC expected its dredging programme to take up to 12 months to complete and to cost about $25 million for each metre of additional draught created, he said.
A large dredge would be contracted from overseas to cut away up to 10.7 million cubic metres of seabed, which would be discharged from its hopper in 20m deep waters, about 6km from Godley Head, over a 2.5km by 5km area, Mr Davie said.
Once Environment Canterbury had reviewed the application the public would have a chance to make submissions.
