Covid-19 has made its impact on Napier Port with third-quarter (Apr-June) reductions in container and bulk cargo, both imports and exports.
Only ‘essential’ cargo, as deemed by the Government, traded in April, creating sharp reductions. Restrictions lifted gradually from the end of that month, but cargo flow is still down on the prior comparative period.
Napier Port chief executive, Todd Dawson says that global uncertainty continues. The Port team is working with cargo owners to understand how the current trading conditions are affecting them and how that could translate into future volumes through the port.
Key third-quarter 2020 trade volumes
[compared to same quarter 2019]
Container Services
Total container volumes reduced by 17.4% to 74k TEU1 from 90k TEU.
Export containers reduced by 7k TEU, or 15.0%, to 39k TEU.
Import containers reduced by 9k TEU, or 21.4%, to 34k TEU.
Dry export ‘non-essential’ cargo, such as wood pulp and timber, wool, and paper products, ceased to enter the port during the COVID-19 Alert Level 4), reducing exports by 6k TEU, or 28.6%.
Canned food and other food and beverage volumes were also lower.
Reefer export ‘essential cargo’ such as apples, meat and other chilled produce were impacted to a lesser extent. Apple and pear volumes reduced by 1k TEU, or 7.2%, from 17k TEU.
Container vessel calls were down to 76 ships from 82 ships.
1Twenty-foot container equivalent unit.
Bulk Cargo
Total volume of 0.6 million tonnes was 24.2% less.
Log export volumes reduced 31.4% due to the cessation of harvesting in Alert Level 4. For the nine-month period to June, log export volumes were down by 14.3% compared to the same period a year ago.
Charter vessel calls were 70 compared to 74.
Cruise Services
Brought to an early end due to COVID-19 with 76 vessel calls.