New Zealand’s major ports have started resuming services after operations were halted by Cyclone Gabrielle, which led to the country declaring a state of emergency at the weekend.
Maritime Executive reports that operations at the ports of Auckland, Tauranga and Napier were brought to a standstill as the cyclone began to reach the areas on Sunday, February 12, blasting New Zealand’s North Island with heavy wind, rain and waves.
By the time the storm began to subside earlier this week there were widespread reports of flooding and landslides and an estimated 2,500 people were displaced and at least a quarter of a million were left without electricity.
Shipping lines were forced to take precautionary measures. Maersk announced that its vessels that were anchored in the port of Tauranga had been forced to leave and that they would remain at sea until it was safe for them to return. All its vessels alongside berths in the port of Auckland were also forced to depart as the shipping line was concerned about the direction of the cyclone’s movement.
“Maersk teams are working closely with affected terminals, depots, and transport service providers to assess the ongoing impact of the situation on a service-by-service basis,” the company said in a note to its customers.
Port operations resumed on Wednesday.
