Despite significant opposition from locals Ports of Auckland, New Zealand’s top port, has been given the go-ahead to deepen its shipping channel to allow ships of up to 8,000 teu to call.
The channel will be deepened from 12.5 m to between 14 m and 14.2 m.
“By allowing larger ships to reach the port, it will also reduce carbon emissions and the cost of transporting Auckland’s freight,” the port claimed in a statement.
New Zealand authorities had been toying with the idea of moving the port outside from the city for a number of years, a project that has been shelved for now.
