The Lyttelton Port of Christchurch, the major import-export seaport for New Zealand’s South Island, is located on Bank’s Peninsula, a few minutes from the city of Christchurch. The Canterbury region of the South Island experienced a 7.1 magnitude earthquake on September 4, 2010, another
at 6.3 magnitude on February 22, 2011, and a 6.3 magnitude earthquake on June 13, 2011. Lyttelton Port was located in the very heart of the seismic action.
Lyttelton Port’s post-earthquake performance was greatly enhanced by to
the availability of the data provided by the CSI Earthquake Monitoring
system previously commissioned as part of the Port’s asset management
programme. The system consists of three Strong Motion Accelerographs
around the port each situated on a different soil type.
The system continuously measures ground motion at each location, ranging
from the smallest micro-tremors through to the strongest felt earthquakes.
The data is by the Port used to plan initial emergency responses, assessment
of structure damage, and planning for repair or rebuild of any damaged
structures.
A comprehensive seismic model of the port facilities was completed prior
to the first earthquake in 2010. Using the measured ground motion records
as input data, the port’s engineers and consultants were able to accurately
estimate the likelihood of damage and to pinpoint damage locations.
This has been critical in:
- Focusing repairs efficiently and sustaining operations through multiple aftershocks.
- Structure response and performance assessment directly from actual measured data, for faster, higher reliability decisions
- Supporting damage assessment and subsequent insurance claims
- Providing guidance to the design of new structures
Despite severe earthquake damage, LPC achieved one of its best business years ever in 2011. At no time were critical services disrupted for more than 96 hours, ensuring the primary gateway for vital imported products required for the rebuild of New Zealand’s second largest city. A programme of temporary works stabilised port structures and the company is now on a 4-5 year repair and rebuild programme
LPC chief executive Peter Davie: “We have achieved our best year ever, while being tested beyond anything we could have imagined”