The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has given clearance for Eastland Port, and a number of other ports around New Zealand, to continue loading ships during the Level 4 Lockdown.
Eastland Group chief operating officer Andrew Gaddum said, “This means we will be bringing in wood from our off site storage. This wood is already scaled and will go straight into Eastland Port so no checkpoint is required, keeping everyone separated.
“The ability to continue to clear wood from the East Coast forestry supply chain ultimately helps everybody particularly the harvesting crews and trucking companies, reducing shipping costs and ultimately getting our industry back on its feet.
“We would not consider starting up any Port operations unless we were 100% confident we can do so safely.
“Although forestry crews will not be able to bring new logs in at this stage, we can clear space on our log yards, and prepare for the forestry industry to start up again under Level 3 without any delays.
“All Eastland Port staff, ISO Limited and contractors have stringent COVID-19 protocols in place, and we follow all requirements set by the Ministry of Health, Health Protection staff and Maritime NZ. We maintain strict cleaning regimens and adhere to all PPE requirements, and frontline border workers are regularly tested.
“We were due to hold another vaccination clinic on Port yesterday and are working with the DHB to ensure the vaccination process runs seamlessly when we are given the greenlight to resume.”