You may spot the Dutch dredge Albatros working around Lyttelton Harbour, which is here as part of an 11-week maintenance dredging campaign.
The Albatros, operated by Dutch Dredging, is a trailer suction hopper dredge and carrying out dredging work in the main Lyttelton channel, along Cashin Quay and in the Inner Harbour.
The Albatros is removing the naturally accumulating sediment within those areas, ensuring the main navigation channel and the areas ships berth and manoeuvre.
LPC Engineering and Projects Manager Alistair Boyce says the dredging ensures LPC can accommodate the deep draught vessels which now frequently visit the Port since the channel was deepened last year.
“Environmental monitoring, including turbidity monitoring of the water adjacent to the disposal ground, will be undertaken during the entire campaign to ensure that LPC’s Resource Consent requirements are complied with,” he says.
This is the first maintenance dredge campaign where the dredged material will be placed at the new offshore maintenance disposal ground beyond Godley Head.
This maintenance dredging work is part of a 10-year maintenance dredging contract with Dutch Dredging and four other New Zealand Ports, says Alistair.
“After several years in the planning for this work, it is great to get the Albatros and her crew here for her inaugural campaign in Lyttelton.”
For more information on LPC’s maintenance dredging and environmental monitoring, click here.

Last Tuesday, Before the Albatros and her crew began work in Lyttelton, LPC’s Māori Development Advisor Tahu Stirling performed a karakia onboard with the crew.