Lyttelton Port Company Announces $821 Million Expansion Project
Lyttelton Port Company will invest $821 million to expand its deepwater wharf and container terminal by 2031 to accommodate larger ships and increase trade capacity.
The Lyttelton Port Company (LPC) is investing $821 million in the Te Awaparahi Bay Expansion and Resilience Project to upgrade the South Island's largest port by 2031. The project involves constructing a 388-meter deepwater wharf and a five-hectare container terminal equipped with four ship-to-shore cranes and semi-automated gantry yard cranes. These upgrades aim to increase annual berth capacity to approximately 850,000 twenty-foot equivalent units.
CEO Graeme Sumner stated the investment is vital because 92 percent of modern ships cannot currently fit into Lyttelton Harbour. Funding for the project will come through debt and approximately $300 million in equity from the port's owner, Christchurch City Holdings Limited (CCHL). This decision follows CCHL's rejection of an unsolicited long-term lease proposal from the Tōnui Consortium, which included DP World and three rūnanga.
The announcement has drawn criticism from the Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU). Branch secretary Mark Wilson accused LPC of lacking transparency and excluding workers and the community from strategic partnerships. While Sumner claims staff were briefed several months ago, the union expressed concerns regarding the impact of automation on staffing and the overall business case.
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