Port of Tauranga

Port of Tauranga is the port of Tauranga, New Zealand, the second-largest port in the country (as well as being first in terms of bulk tonnage as of 2006)" [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10362138 New boss of Ports of Tauranga exudes quiet confidence] " - "New Zealand Herald", Monday 02 January 2006] with Port of Tauranga Ltd being the company operating it. This article is about both the company and the port of Tauranga itself.

Facilities

The port has a total of 15 berths, of which 12 are located on the Mount Maunganui side of the harbour (general cargo such as wood, coal handling facilities, bulk liquids), while another 3 are located at the NZ$ 100 million Tauranga Terminal (containers, including refrigerated freight) at Sulphur Point on the Tauranga side.

The facilities also include two cold stores of 20,000 and 9,000 tonnes, 2.5 hectares of covered storage, 27 hectares of paved container yard, and more than 90 hectares of reserve land for future facilities and storage. Cranes include four container cranes (of which three are of post-panamax size). The container facilities served a total of 486 container ships in the 2007 financial year, which is set to grow by another 52 ships per year, with the port landing a major contract with CMA CGM in early 2008. [" [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=284&objectid=10491441 Port of Tauranga attracts big French contract] " - "The New Zealand Herald", Saturday 09 February 2008]

Company

Port of Tauranga Ltd was established in 1985, and has also established MetroPort Auckland in 1999, an inland port service. The net profit for the year to 30 June 2006 was NZ$ 31 million, down 7.8%." [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=284&objectid=10405429 A tale of two ports] " - "New Zealand Herald", Wednesday 11 October 2006] Trading on the NZX as one of the 50 largest listed companies of New Zealand, its market capitalization is NZ$ 417 million (02 October 2007). [ [http://www.smartshares.nzx.com/products/fonz/NZSX50_index_port NZX 50 Portfolio Index] (from the 'Smartshares Limited' website, Retrieved 2007-10-02.)]

Several times in the late 2000s, Port of Tauranga has proposed to buy (or merge with) its larger rival Ports of Auckland (POAL). While this has been rebuffed by POAL (which is owned by the Auckland Regional Council, rather than traded on the stock market), Port of Tauranga is still as of August 2008 insisting that a merger of various New Zealand ports is required to make them competitive to Australia, or risk becoming a country solely of reshipment ports. In turn Ports of Auckland has proposed to buy only the container business of Ports of Tauranga, something which Port of Tauranga chairman John Parker notes would add little value. ["Shake-up essential for sector says Port of Tauranga chief" - "The Business Herald" (insert of the "The New Zealand Herald"), Friday 29 August 2008, Page 5]

References

External links

* [http://www.port-tauranga.co.nz/ Port of Tauranga Limited] (official port website)