One of the largest dredging ships in the world has arrived at Lyttelton Port in Christchurch to deepen its channel.
The Fairway will move silt non-stop for the next 12 weeks to make way for mega-container ships.
"The dredge will work fairly continuously on a 24/7 basis, so it will basically go up and down the channel, dredging, sucking the silt up," Lyttelton Port marketing manager Simon Munt says.
The massive 230-metre-long ship works like a vacuum cleaner, picking silt up from the seabed with giant suction pipes.
It then dumps the material off-site - deepening, lengthening and widening the shipping channel - allowing bigger container ships to access the port increasing trade.
"If this increases our ability to export more and export faster by having larger container ships come through the port, that's got to be a good thing," Canterbury Chambers Employers of Commerce chief executive Leeann Watson says.
The Port Company says the multi-million-dollar project is needed, as container ships have nearly doubled in size over the last decade.
There are some environmental concerns, however; local iwi Ngai Tahu appealed the port company's consent, fighting for stronger rules that will control where silt can be dumped and protect sea life in the harbour.
Environment Canterbury is keeping a close eye on the project.
The organisation's local zone manager Steve Firth says they have 24 hour a day live data coming through every 15 minutes.
The Fairway begins work on Wednesday.
Newshub.
