Slipway upgrade in Port Nelson’s sights

The resource consent application to upgrade the Nelson Slipway has been lodged, with construction expected to begin in June.

Port Nelson has completed the preliminary design for the slipway upgrade, which will see the slip able to cater to vessels up to 550 tonnes, up from the current 120-tonne limit.

The upgrade is expected to cost $20 million, $9.8 million of which is being contributed by central government through a combination of equity, grant and debt.

Nelson City Council and engineering business Aimex Limited are also supporting funders of the project. Currently, the port is home to two slipways, the Calwell Slipway and the Nelson Slipway.

The Calwell Slipway currently caters to ships between 200 tonnes and 2,400 tonnes. By bringing the Nelson Slipway up to a limit of 550 tonnes, Port Nelson aims to provide a greater rate of vehicle lifting between the two facilities.

The Nelson Slipway is expected to end its operations at the end of May, for construction, including the removal of contaminated material from the seabed, to commence in June. Construction is expected to take a year, with the new travel lift assembled in April and the slipway restarting operation in May 2024.

The new travel lift will be highly customisable, with repositionable slings to cater to a wide range of different vessels including lighter wooden ships and tugs.

Aside from Orams Marine Village in Auckland, there are no other hoists that will be capable of lifting New Zealand’s mid-sized tug fleet. Vessels will be able to be placed anywhere on the hardstand by the travel lift, allowing for a customisable layout of ships to meet a variety of needs. The hardstand itself will also be upgraded to better catch contaminated materials and stormwater.

During the upgrade of the Nelson Slipway, the Calwell Slipway will be operating as normal and some slots for the construction period are still open.

The Nelson Marina, operated by Nelson City Council, also has a travel lift that can accommodate vessels up to 44 tonnes.

Updated tariffs and bookings for the Nelson Slipway will be available from the fourth quarter of 2023.