REGIONAL REPORTAUSTRALASIA
conventional stowage typically have to be specifically chartered by the cargo owner.” Nonetheless, Wishart said that there is an
increasing demand in New Zealand for inbound project-type cargoes. “Rolling stock, boats, cranes and an increasing amount of prefabricated structures, mainly used in infrastructure, all require specialised vessels and lifting equipment. Vessels are not readily available in this part of the world so require at least one leg of the voyage to be an empty positioning move. “Given our distance from markets, this
could add a considerable amount to the final bill. Sometimes vessel operators will try to find compatible cargoes, even to Australia, before they will commit to calling in New Zealand. This can result in unexpected delivery delays.” The relative lack of options for New
Zealand importers means they can be disadvantaged on a per-sea-mile basis compared with their counterparts across the Tasman Sea, where the demand and frequency of heavy lift and project type vessels is considerably higher. However, one specific advantage for
New Zealand importers is that the project vessels can call directly at any New Zealand port and typically have their own heavy lift cranes to load and discharge the cargo. “This can eliminate a lot of inland haulage
expense compared with say having the cargo discharged in Auckland off a liner service, then having to use heavy haul services to the final destination,” said Wishart.
Work prospects Another Kiwi operator, Dave Malins, general manager of Freight Traders, confirmed that there is enough work in New Zealand to keep a niche player in business. “We have been very busy this year with ship charter, part-charter and other over-dimensional cargo. We have had very good export shipments of charter work and have also had some third-party work not involving New Zealand or Australia. “We have also had a good number of
interesting shipments coming into New Zealand for maintenance-type work rather than new projects. For us, Australia has traditionally been a good market for imports but in recent years it has dried up.” Looking ahead, Malins said the next ten
years in New Zealand is looking very busy for new projects, but added “continuous work is always the problem here as there are always long breaks between drinks. “One very interesting line of work we are
seeing is from the overseas multinationals who in some cases have their own offices
www.heavyliftpfi.com
We are in a time of rapid growth and development. – Connal Townsend, New Zealand Property Council
Earthworks behind Porirua as the Transmission Gully project gets under way in New Zealand.
here but lack the expertise to get the projects done on their own. It is easier [and more cost effective] for them to use local specialists rather that have a one-person project department with little work to fill the day.” The portents for an uplift in the New
Zealand project market are good, with the onset of an infrastructure building boom that is attracting major international companies as financial backers or construction partners. Connal Townsend, chief executive of
New Zealand Property Council, believes partnerships will increase as the construction boom gathers momentum. “We are in a time of rapid growth and development,” he stated. “With that comes significant investment as the big players move in. Ultimately this is good for the construction
industry as it provides a capital boost and hefty leveraging for New Zealand construction companies. “Construction in New Zealand is
massively over-stretched, costs are high and we have significant labour shortages. However, by partnering with larger overseas firms New Zealand construction companies can reduce costs and produce far superior builds due to greater capital investment.” Certainly, serious overseas investors see
New Zealand as having great potential. The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) has pledged to help New Zealand fund its biggest infrastructure building programme in more than 30 years. ICBC’s new global chairman, Yi
Huiman, recently visited New Zealand to meet officials to discuss New Zealand’s infrastructure investment needs, following
the announcement of the joint plan between the government and the Auckland Council to tackle Auckland’s transport priorities. These include motorway upgrades, new
busways and upgrades to the rail network. Big projects outside Auckland include Wellington’s Transmission Gully motorway, Tauranga’s Northern Link road and several key pieces of infrastructure in the Christchurch rebuild.
Chinese partnership Qian (Karen) Hou, general manager and chief executive of ICBC New Zealand, said the bank sees New Zealand as an important economic partner to China and the large infrastructure investment programme makes it particularly attractive for ICBC. “ICBC New Zealand is investing
NZD100 million (USD70.85 million) in the Transmission Gully project and more than NZD60 million (USD42.5 million) in a gas transmission/distribution facility operator project. We recently received a further NZD84 million (USD59.5 million) of capital from our parent company and we are currently looking across the country to identify the next projects to invest in.” Without such involvement, New
Zealand infrastructure projects would be starved of funding options, or find it appreciably more difficult to raise the required levels of funding. “New Zealand is entering its biggest
infrastructure investment programme for more than 30 years and funding is the biggest challenge. There is not enough local capital available for all these projects, so without ICBC [and other international lenders] some would have to be delayed or even cancelled,” said Hou.
January/February 2017
HLPFI 103
Mark Tantrum Credit: The Transmission
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148
