Behind the Build: The Experts Supporting the Transition Berth If you’ve looked out over our harbour recently, you’ll have likely noticed barges, cranes and piles emerging as work progresses on the Transition Berth – a new facility for the Interislander ferries to use while construction on the new wharf and linkspan gets underway as part of the Waitohi Ferry Redevelopment project. But before a pile can be installed or a wharf can take shape, a wide range of specialists are working behind the scenes to gather information, plan and coordinate construction in one of New Zealand’s busiest ports. Commercial divers help below the surface, surveyors establish the precise location of future structures and marine radio crews are communicating to ensure work occurs safely around ferry movement and other harbour users. All of this is taking place while ferries keep moving, freight moves through the Port, and other harbour users go about their daily activities. So, what does it take to build a wharf in a working harbour? Beneath the Surface Featuring Ben Barker and Nathan Fulton Directors and Partners of Ruku Moana Marlborough Limited. While piles, barges and cranes are among the most visible signs of progress on the Transition Berth, some of the project’s most important work happens beneath the water. Local commercial divers Ben Barker and Nathan Fulton, Directors and Partners of Ruku Moana Marlborough Limited, play an important role helping construction teams understand conditions below the waterline and safely prepare for marine works. What work has your team been undertaking as part of the Waitohi Ferry Redevelopment Project? So far, our diving work has included installing temporary spar buoys, or “hit sticks”, that mark the key positions for the Exclusive Construction Zone. This has involved commercial diving, underwater attachment and adjustment, positioning checks and vessel-based support. Our involvement also extends beyond the diving. Our team includes qualified skippers and experienced marine crew, and we currently help operate the small tender used to transfer HEB, Port Marlborough, surveyors, technicians and other project personnel between the shore, tugs and barges. We also provide crew on the larger marine plant when required, giving us a broad role across the project as it develops. How does diving work support the construction team before marine piling and other harbour works can begin? Divers effectively give the construction team eyes and hands beneath the surface. We can confirm seabed conditions, inspect existing structures or obstructions, position and attach equipment, and check that temporary works have been installed correctly before the larger construction plant moves through each stage. Because our team is also involved in the wider marine operation, we get a good understanding of how the diving work fits into barge movements, pile handling, surveying and the overall construction sequence. That helps the different parts of the job work together. What are some of the challenges of working underwater in an active harbour environment? The harbour does not stop while we are working. Ferries, tugs, barges, workboats and recreational traffic still need to move around us. Work is carefully coordinated with HEB, Port Marlborough, the Harbourmaster team and the other marine operators, with surface lookouts and radio communications maintained throughout the work. Visibility, current, weather and seabed conditions can also change, so the plan always has to match the conditions we actually find on the day. What would surprise people most about the work commercial divers do on a project like this? Probably how broad the work is, and how much preparation happens before anyone gets wet. A job that may only take a relatively short time underwater can involve hours of planning, risk assessments, permits, vessel coordination, equipment checks, communications and emergency planning beforehand. Commercial divers are really “underwater tradespeople” – depending on the job we can be inspecting, measuring, rigging, drilling, cutting, installing or repairing things. In our case, the same team can also be skippering a tender or working aboard tugs and barges, so commercial diving is only one part of what we contribute to a large marine project. Is there a particular aspect of the project that you have found especially interesting or rewarding to be involved in? For us, the most rewarding part is being a Marlborough business involved in a major piece of infrastructure right here in our own backyard. We have worked around the port and in Waitohi for years, so it is satisfying to contribute local knowledge, diving experience and practical marine capability as the next generation of ferry infrastructure starts taking shape. It has also been interesting seeing how all the different parts of the project come together. One day we may be underwater installing or adjusting spar buoys, and another day members of the team may be moving project personnel by tender or working aboard one of the tugs or barges. You get a much better appreciation of how much planning and coordination happens behind the scenes before the public sees the finished result. Port Services Team at Port Marlborough operating Picton Harbour Radio Navigation Safety in a Busy Harbour With construction crews, harbour operations and ferry services all operating in the same area, clear communication is essential. Port Marlborough’s Port Services team operate Picton Harbour Radio on VHF channel 18, 24/7, maintaining navigational safety and ensuring safe passage of the many recreational and commercial vessels that come in and out of Port Marlborough every day. Dick Chapman is the radio operator for HEB construction and works closely with Port Marlborough’s Harbour Radio team to ensure construction activity is coordinated within wider port operations with clear communication, forward planning and the right information shared between construction crews and the port’s Harbour Radio to keep work on the ferry project in Picton progressing safely and efficiently. Dick has spent more than 30 years working on the water around Marlborough, has been a commercial launch master, operated Westbay Water Transport, worked log ships at Waimahara Wharf, and served as President of Marlborough Coastguard for 14 years. He has called Picton home since 1992 and has spent much of his career helping people, vessels and harbour operations move safely around the Marlborough Sounds. Dick Chapman – Radio Operator for HEB The process starts long before a ferry arrives at Waitohi. Around 35 to 40 minutes before berthing, a “snout call” is made from the ferries to Picton Harbour Radio as the ferry approaches Double Cove. From that point, harbour radio calls Dick at HEB’s site to liaise with construction teams to begin preparing the site, securing equipment and clearing designated work areas. Dick says “When an Interislander ferry is arriving or departing, we work together to ensure the Health and Safety of workers. We coordinate with the teams on the cranes, barges and wharves – to confirm it is safe for the ferry to berth.” Throughout the day, Picton Harbour Radio, ferry crews, tug operators, support vessels and construction teams all share information. Harbour movements are monitored through dedicated marine radio channels, while the HEB marine crews use their own channels to communicate with each other on site. Marine radio communication plays a huge part in keeping the harbour operating safely during construction – and Dick says “A lot of it is planning ahead. Everyone needs to know what’s happening and when it’s happening. The ferries, tugs and commercial vessels have to keep moving, and we have to keep people safe.” Before a Pile Is Installed Featuring Danie Oosthuizen, Survey Manager, HEB Construction Originally from South Africa, Danie moved to New Zealand with his wife and three children in 2020 and has since worked on a range of construction and infrastructure projects across the country. He moved to Picton earlier this year to join HEB as Survey Manager on the Waitohi Ferry Redevelopment Project. Before marine works begin, surveyors help establish exactly where future structures will be built. Their work includes surveying above and below the water, mapping existing infrastructure and providing the information construction crews need to work safely and accurately. When people see a pile being installed in the harbour, what surveying work has already happened behind the scenes to make that possible? A lot happens before the first pile is installed. Surveyors collect detailed measurements of the site and establish accurate reference points that allow construction teams to position each pile in exactly the right location. By the time piling begins, months of planning, surveying and design work may already have taken place. What are you actually looking for when you’re surveying the harbour and future pile locations? We’re building a detailed picture what’s already in and around the harbour before construction begins. That includes measuring existing structures, checking water depths, mapping the seabed, and identifying anything that could affect construction. The information we collect helps ensure the design can be built safely and accurately. How do you transfer a design into an exact location out on the water? We establish a series of highly accurate reference points across the site. These act like a measuring framework, allowing us to transfer the design from the computer into the real world and position structures exactly where they need to be. What challenges come with surveying in a marine environment compared with working on land? The marine environment is always changing. Waves, swell, vessel movement, weather and tides can all affect measurements. Access can also be more challenging, with much of the work carried out from boats, barges, wharves and other structures rather than stable ground. That means marine surveying requires careful planning. What would surprise people most about the amount of preparation that takes place before marine piling begins? Probably how much work happens before any construction is visible. Long before the first pile is installed, surveyors are measuring the site, checking existing conditions and making sure the design can be accurately transferred into the harbour environment. While much of this work happens behind the scenes, it gives the project team confidence that what is being built matches the design and is exactly where it needs to be. While much of our work happens behind the scenes, it gives the engineers and construction team confidence that what is being built in the harbour matches the design and is exactly where it needs to be. Looking Ahead The Transition Berth is an important stage of the Waitohi Ferry Redevelopment Project. While barges, cranes and piling activity are some of the most visible signs of progress, they are only part of the story. The team at Port Marlborough have been working on the project planning, consenting and design for several years. With HEB Construction, now on site as the main works contractor here in Waitohi Picton on the ground, it’s great to see physical works underway. Before work begins on the water, surveyors establish pile locations, divers help investigate conditions beneath the surface, ferry operators are consulted, and marine teams coordinate activities around vessel movements and harbour operations. Working in a busy port and harbour brings unique challenges, with construction activities taking place alongside ferry services, freight movements and other harbour users. Through careful planning, coordination and communication, Port Marlborough, HEB and project partners are helping ensure Picton harbour remains safe and operational while construction progresses.
