THE CHANCES of New Zealand’s West Coast Bulk Logistics (WCBL) resuming service with self-propelled barge Manahau are looking slim after parent Westland Mineral Sands (WMS) suspended production of the vessel’s intended cargo.
The 98-metre Manahau, acquired in the Philippines and converted for NZ service at Batam, was driven aground by strong winds at Carters Beach on the South Island West Coast on 31 August 2024.
It was later re-floated and towed to Nelson, having suffered considerable damage to its propulsion units.
It has remained unrepaired and under Maritime New Zealand detention since, with the authority making a number of critical findings in its investigation of the grounding.
WCBL planned to use Manahau to load mineral sands from shallow-draft ports Westport and Greymouth for transhipment at Nelson anchorage to bulk carriers. It had completed only one voyage at the time of the grounding.
In February this year WCBL and WMS welcomed the New Zealand Government’s announcement confirming funding to upgrade critical port infrastructure in Greymouth and Westport.
The investment, delivered through the Coastal Shipping Resilience Fund, would support navigational improvements, wharf repairs, resilience upgrades, and long-term safety planning across the West Coast’s two key ports.
At the time WMS managing director Ray Mudgway said the funding recognises the essential role coastal shipping plays in the region’s economy, future development, and disaster preparedness.
At the end of February WMS released details of a proposed new processing project “aimed at creating more jobs and keeping more value from West Coast minerals here in New Zealand”, after the government’s decision to ringfence NZ$80 million in the Regional Infrastructure Fund to support the development and processing of the country’s critical minerals resources.
However, last week WMS Group announced a “temporary pause” in mining near Westport, and a suspension of all activity at Westport and Greymouth due to sustained weakness in global markets and ongoing uncertainty arising from events in the Middle East.
The cost of fuel and shipping operations had risen significantly and the price of titanium and mineral sands had fallen, Mr Mudgway said.