Lyttelton Port assessing quake damage
Lyttelton Port will take at least 24 hours to assesses significant damage to wharves and other infrastructure after yesterday's earthquake.
Lyttelton Port will take at least 24 hours to assesses significant damage to wharves and other infrastructure after yesterday's earthquake.
Cranes and machinery were undamaged in the magnitude 6.3 quake this afternoon. However, it was too early to say how extensive the damage was, Port chief executive Peter Davie said yesterday.
"We're at the stage of knowing we've got significant damage, and waiting until first light to work our way through and work out how significant.
"Parts of it are quite badly broken up and other parts aren't so bad," he told NZPA.
"It's wharves and paving that's smashed up -- there are places where walls have dropped half a metre."
The port company had told customers it would take 24 hours for engineers to assess the damage.
"There's still ships doing things in the port, it's just a matter of what cargo we can and can't load."
The port company had not determined the final cost of damage from the 7.1 magnitude earthquake in September, with estimates reported between $50m to $200m.
Despite being extensively damaged in that quake, it was operational again within hours.
NBR staff and NZPA
Wed, 23 Feb 2011
Wed, 23 Feb 2011
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Lyttelton Port assessing quake damage
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