A second container ship with boxes destined for Auckland and beyond berthed at Northport this morning in an effort to combat the congestion issues facing the entire NZ freight logistics sector. At 294m long the 'Tianjin Bridge' becomes the largest ship to berth at Northport, beating the Constantinos P which called here in December. 

Freight agent ANL confirmed the call on Friday last week (8 January).

The ‘Tianjin Bridge’ discharged at Tauranga some of her Auckland-bound cargo, with Northport taking the balance. We will be offloading 919 containers and will not be loading any for export.

We have initiated contact with trucking organisations to coordinate logistics and to ensure that we cater to their needs as far as practically possible.

Supporting Auckland’s freight growth is part of Northport’s future business strategy, the plans for which are currently out for public consultation at www.visionforgrowth.co.nz. Our ability to help ease the freight congestion currently besetting the country illustrates well the role Northport could play in a resilient, three-port Upper North Island supply chain strategy, given ongoing and significant investment in north-of-Auckland transport infrastructure. So further such calls are likely; we expect to be handling Auckland-bound container traffic for as long as NZ port congestion remains a challenge for the national supply chain.