Napier Port is the largest port in central New Zealand and the fourth-largest container terminal in the country; the increased pipfruit harvest, as well as growth in the region's forestry and viticulture sectors has seen some of the highest export volumes during the past decade handled by the port.
After a busy March where monthly volumes were the second highest on record, April stepped up even further.
"Last month was the busiest April ever with 28,513 twenty-foot equivalent [TEU] containers handled over the port's wharves," Napier Port CEO Garth Cowie said.
The big apple crop had played a major part in that.
"At the end of last week, we had processed 8,860 TEUs of apples, which is a record for this point in the season," Mr Cowie said.
During the season he expected the port would process somewhere between 21,000 and 22,000 TEUs which was up around 4 to 6 per cent over last year's crop.
Those sort of figures, coupled with what Mr Cowie described as major growth across other major export sectors, was good news for the future.
The record-breaking figures from April export trade came on top of news late last year that overall revenue at Napier Port had risen 7.6 per cent to $72.1million for the year ended September 2015.
With containers already stacked six high and growth in cargo volumes expected to continue, the port has its eye on future capacity with planning for a new wharf to handle the projected cargo growth, under way. The wharf is the port's biggest investment in its history with a $50 million price-tag.
"Napier Port is a critical link between our local producers and world markets, and future-proofing that link is vital for our regional economy," he said.
Source: Hawkes Bay Today/nzherald.co.nz
