Northport helps relieve Christmas Retail Crisis

Looks like Covid19 will have the last say, right up until Christmas Day!

Cargo ships full of Christmas gifts are being diverted to Northland from Auckland as the pressure to have gifts unloaded in time for Christmas grows.  It’s a domino effect which has caused delays of Christmas goods this year.  For starters, there is a global shortage of boxes (thanks to Covid once again), and Ports of Auckland can only operate three of the eight cranes simultaneously due to low staff numbers (another casualty of Covid). 

It will take thousands of truck trips from Northland to Auckland to get product onto shelves to meet the demand of the Christmas retail rush. 

Backlog mainly caused by Covid19 has pushed it out until the 22^nd December.  At 211-metres long, this is the largest cargo ship to dock in Northport, but Northport’s Chairperson, Murray Jagger, says they have been planning for this for some time and it will prove the capability of what other New Zealand ports can do.   

Vessels currently sitting in Auckland Waitemata Harbour are waiting on eight days, on average, before docking into Ports of Auckland.  Some have even given up and returned to Australia. 

Around 1300 containers will be unloaded, equating to more than 2500 round truck trips between Auckland and Whangarei, to deliver the goods to where they need to go. 

And who is going to pay for this extra expense?  Though no one is confirming whether the increase will be passed onto consumers, it is clear it may be the quickest and easiest way to solve the problem in this emergency situation.

So, if there’s something you’ve been looking for online, check the website regularly over the following week as it may just be on its way!  

Thank you, Northport, Whangarei for coming to the party.  We’re sure you will  be on everyone’s Christmas card list!