Full Ahead for Coastal Shipping

Press Release: November 5 2007
Embargoed till 5:30PM

Full Ahead for Coastal Shipping

Rod Grout, the President of the NZ Shipping Federation, today gave an enthusiastic welcome to the launch of Sea Change, the Government’s draft coastal shipping strategy.

“The Shipping Federation congratulates the Government, and its support parties, on their initiative. The strategy will enable coastal shipping to access funding to develop and promote new services and to train a costal shipping workforce for the future”, Mr Grout said.

Mr Grout described the Government’s target to have 30% of inter-regional domestic freight carried by coastal shipping by 2040 as “the biggest boost to the NZ coastal shipping industry that he could ever recall”.

“The 30% target is an acknowledgement that, with the looming oil shortage, changing climatic conditions and increasing road congestion, much more needs to be done to promote coastal shipping, alongside road and rail, if New Zealand is to respond in a safe and environmentally sustainable manner to the projected increase in domestic freight movement over the next 10 years”.

“The Sea Change draft strategy is an excellent start towards that target. Coastal shipping operators are confident that, given the proposed supports, we can deliver. This is not about competition with road and rail. Rather, the funding and promotional supports proposed for shipping will enable users to make better use of all three transport modes”.

Mr Grout said the Shipping Federation looked forward to working with the Government to develop the final strategy. “Coastal shipping can’t wait to get Sea Change up to full ahead”, he concluded.

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