Dredging the shipping channel and associated areas and being able to dispose of the dredging spoil were also essential to Port Otago's operation of the ports at Port Chalmers and Dunedin, Mr Andersen said in his submission for the company. The second phase of Port Otago's $30million ``Next Generation'' dredging project, to widen and deepen the 13km shipping channel between Taiaroa Head and Port Chalmers, is under way. Giving evidence for the company, civil engineer and former Port Otago chief executive Rene Bakx emphasised Port Otago's economic significance. Port Otago was New Zealand's second-largest meat-exporting port and the ``international gateway'' for important exports. It was essential for Dunedin and the lower South Island that Port Otago remained a strong part of the country's ``international trading supply chain''.

Source: Otago Daily Times November 07, 2016 17:08 UTC