Some of Northland’s dairy exports are now heading out of the area by sea in a trial involving Fonterra and Kotahi, New Zealand’s largest containerised freight manager.
Containers full of dairy products are now being shipped between Northport and Port of Tauranga, where they are then exported. They ride Pacifica Shipping’s weekly container service, which started in May to link the two ports.
The initial trial will use a mix of carriers and take about 100 containers off the road. If successful, the arrangement could see up to 800 containers taken off the road each year, with potential for future growth.
Northport commercial manager David Finchett said the port has been talking with the two organisations for some time about the efficiencies of coastal shipping for Northland dairy products exported through Tauranga.
Recent road transport disruptions - such as the recent closure of State Highway 1 at Brynderwyn Hills - and Pacifica’s weekly coastal shipping service starting in May triggered the decision to shift from road to sea.
