Port of Tauranga’s inland port, MetroPort Auckland, has gained wide acceptance in the Auckland market since its inception in June 1999. The high use of MetroPort by shipping lines and its popularity with shippers have established the Port of Tauranga as a major North Island distribution hub, serving the Auckland market.
 Consignments destined for Auckland are off-loaded at the Port’s Tauranga Container Terminal and, through a unique partnership with rail, cargo is railed to MetroPort Auckland, located in the heart of Auckland’s manufacturing and distribution region. This invaluable rail link also caters for Auckland-sourced export cargo.
MetroPort’s annual throughput has increased from 32,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent containers) in its first year of operation to 138,000 TEUs in the last financial year. The port is expecting MetroPort volumes
to exceed 150,000 TEUs this financial year.
MetroPort’s convenient Penrose location is a major attraction for shippers, road carriers, importers and exporters. Its proximity to New Zealand’s largest market, ease of access, and fast truck turnaround times are key features. MetroPort is bordered by the region’s two main motorways, plus several other major arterial routes. These fundamentals allow for shorter transit times for the delivery of cargo and improved overall supply chain efficiency.
While an inland port may appear to operate under different criteria to those of a water port, there are definite similarities. MetroPort is fully Customs bonded and MAF approved, with onsite fumigation and door inspection areas. Currently there is the capacity to accommodate 1000 ground slots, including 60 refrigerated containers. MetroPort’s own dedicated twin rail sidings can cater for unit trains of up to
100 TEUs.
MetroPort currently averages 40–50 percent utilisation, leaving plenty of room for future growth. At present, Port of Tauranga runs four trains per day between Tauranga and Auckland, and six trains on a Monday, each carrying 97 TEUs.
David Knowles, MetroPort’s business development manager, says: “In the last 12 months, the balance of cargo moving from the Port of Tauranga to Auckland and vice versa has improved, while overall utilisation of the available capacity has increased.”
The enhancement last year to ShuttleSelect, the port’s interactive web-based cargo delivery system, has significantly increased the visibility for importers who can now plan their deliveries to MetroPort with a greater degree of accuracy, Mr Knowles adds. “This, mixed with improved online container tracking, provides greater detail on the availability of cargo, including the date and time that ‘holds’ by MAF, Customs and the shipping lines are released. Combined with hourly updates on truck turn around time, customers have direct visibility of MetroPort’s receival and delivery performance.
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Last month, MetroPort exper-ienced its second largest rail volume over a one-week period. Despite high train utilisation, MetroPort achieved on average a truck turnaround time of 14 minutes. “To have achieved a great truck turnaround time for the road carriers during a record week for rail was a great result,”
Mr Knowles says.
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