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Navigational information for piloted vessels

This section outlines the regulatory and procedural frameword of pilotage operations at Port Marlborough, and defines all standard routes and manoeuvres for piloted vessels and pilot exempt vessels.
Here you will find detailed specifications for all berths and all other port infrastructure relevant to piloted vessels.

General Pilotage information

There are two passages for entry to Picton, Queen Charlotte Sound and Tory Channel. Both are compulsory pilotage areas as defined in NZ Maritime Rule Part 90.

Queen Charlotte Sound

Pilotage is compulsory for all vessels > 500 GRT.
For vessels transitting Queen Charlotte Sound, pilots transfer via pilot boat at or near Position Alpha: 41 04.620 S 174 18.920 E.

Tory Channel

Pilotage is compulsory for all vessels > 350 GRT.
Tory Channel Pilotage is currently suspended for all vessels (April 2020) except Cook Strait Ferries operating with Pilotage Exemption Certificates.

Vessel Classes

Port Marlborough Standard Operating Procedures for Pilotage Operations categorises three classes of vessel:

Class LOA (m) Draft (m)
C < 145.0 AND < 8.5
B ≥ 145.0 < 200.0 AND < 10.5
A ≥ 200.0 OR ≥ 10.5

Anchorages

There is one charted waiting anchorage for A, B & C class vessels outside the pilotage limit located at Cloudy Bay, position: 41 27.000 S 174 09.100 E
Permission must be obtained from the Harbour Master prior to anchoring in Cloudy Bay.

There are two further waiting anchorages for A, B & C class vessels within Queen Charlotte Sound that may be accessed with a pilot on board. They are:
No.1 Anchorage position: 41 14.878 S 174 01.118 E
No.2 Anchorage position: 41 13.640 S 174 05.300 E

The following additional anchorages for C class vessels may be accessed with a pilot on board:
Ship Cove position: 41 05.617 S 174 14.665 E
Resolution Bay position: 41 07.480 S 174 13.310 E
Torea Bay position: 41 13.122 S 174 01.886 E
Picton quarantine anchorage position: 41 16.148 S 174 00.590 E (limited to 135m LOA)

Vessel to Pilots Office

Requests for pilots and tugs must be made to the Pilots Office as early as possible, at least 24 hours in advance of the vessels ETA at the pilot boarding area with information outlined below.

Prior to acceptance or booking, an A, B or C class cargo or passenger vessel arriving for the first time and wishing to transit Queen Charlotte Sound should provide the Pilots Office with the following information:

  • Vessel pilot card
  • Vessel manoeuvring data (wheelhouse poster)

In addition to the above, prior to acceptance or booking, an A class cargo or passenger vessel > 200m LOA, arriving for the first time via Queen Charlotte Sound should provide the Pilots Office with the following information:

  • Mooring deck arrangement drawings
  • Mooring winch and mooring line specifications.

Please refer to General Pilotage Information for definitions of vessel classes.

Revised ETA’s should be passed to the Pilots Office and Picton Harbour Radio until just prior to arrival at the pilot boarding area.

Pilots Office to Vessel

After acceptance and booking, and at least 24 hours prior to arrival, the Pilots Office will send the vessel a pilotage plan comprising:

  • Route plan
  • Manoeuvring plan
  • Mooring plan

All data from the Route Plan must be entered into the ECDIS prior to arrival at the pilot boarding area.

Operational Limits

Operational limits for vessels transitting Queen Charlotte Sound and Tory Channel are defined by Port Marlborough Standard Operating Procedures for Pilotage Operations and Marlborough District Council Navigation Bylaw 2009.

Draft and UKC limits

  • A maximum static draft of 10.5m when transitting Queen Charlotte Sound main channel
  • A maximum static draft of 16.2m when transitting Queen Charlotte Sound east channel (daylight only)
  • A maximum static draft of 13.5m when alongside Waimahara Wharf
  • A minimum 10% static UKC when alongside any other berth. Please refer to the most recent soundings in the berth information section.

Towage requirements and wind limits

  • Two tugs are required for all A&B class vessel arrivals
  • One tug minimum is required for all A&B class departures, the second to tug is to be employed at the discretion of the Master or Pilot
  • Maximum wind gust speed 35 knots for arrivals as measured from Waitohi or Waimahara wharves
  • Maximum wind gust speed 45 knots for departures as measured from Waitohi or Waimahara wharves

Please refer to General Pilotage Information for definitions of vessel classes.

Reduced Visibility

  • No A, B or C class piloted vessels may arrive or depart from any berth in Picton Harbour where visibility is reduced to 0.3 NM or less.
  • A, B or C class piloted vessels may arrive or depart from designated anchorages within Queen Charlotte Sound where visibility is reduced to 0.3 NM or less, provided they have fully functioning radar, ECDIS and other bridge equipment in line with the SOLAS requirements for a vessel of their type and size.
     

Please refer to General Pilotage Information for definitions of vessel classes.

Pilot Transfer Requirements

For vessels transitting Queen Charlotte Sound, pilots transfer via pilot boat at or near Position Alpha 41 04.620S, 174 18.920 E.

For arriving vessels, detailed instructions for ladder arrangemnts and boarding will be given 1 hour prior to the vessels ETA via VHF Ch 18. Further instructions will be given on VHF Ch 18 by the pilot or launchmaster immediately prior to transfer. VHF Ch 08 may be used as an alternative working channel for pilot transfers.

Transfers will normally be conducted by the pilot vessel Endeavour at a maximum speed of 8 knots with the bottom rung of the pilot ladder rigged 1.5m above the water.

The pilot vessel Endeavour, pictured below, has a cruising speed of 17 knots and a maximum speed of 26 knots.

For full pilot vessel specifications, please follow this link: Full vessel specifications

Port Marlborough requires all pilot transfer arrangements to be compliant with  IMO Resolution A.1045(27),   SOLAS Chapter V, and NZ Maritime Rule Part 53.

Towage Information

Port Marlborough Harbour Tugs
Port Marlborough owns and operates two harbour tugs.
Working channels : VHF Channel 08, 18, 11 (back up)

Maungatea is a 28t bollard pull azimuth tractor tug. Propulsion units are forward with a tow winch over the stern. The tow rope is a Fusion-12 tow rope with an ISO strength of 106 MT which can be varied up to 100m length.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Download vessel information here

Monowai is a 28t bollard pull Voith Schneider tractor tug. Propulsion units are forward with a fixed tow line over the stern. There are 3 tow line lengths available 17m, 20m and 60 m. Each fixed line is made of Amsteel Blue, 40mm 12 stranded line with an ISO strength of 205 MT.

Download vessel information here

Tug Orders 

Nautilus Pacific Tugs

Port Marlborough will occasionally contract harbour towage services to Nautilus Pacific. Nautilus Pacific operates two tugs:

Levanter – 10t bollard pull twin screw tug
Rossco – 12t bollard pull twin screw tug

Details of these two tugs can be found on the Nautilus Pacific website.

Passage Planning Information

Pilotage plans for Queen Charlotte Sound and Tory Channel Pilotage areas will be sent by the Pilots office directly to an arriving vessel at least 24 hours prior to arrival.

The Pilotage Plan will comprise:

  1. Route Plan – a table of route data that must be entered into the ECDIS prior to arrival
  2. Manoeuvring plan – a diagram showing how the vessel will be manoeuvred on to the berth
  3. Mooring plan – a diagram showing the final resting position of the ship, the number and disposition of mooring lines, and the SWL of all mooring bollards.

Standard Routes

There are total of 27 Standard routes for the Queen Charlotte Sound and Tory Channel pilotage areas. These are all listed below with pdf waypoints tables and chartlets.

No. Standard Route Class Waypoint table Plan
1 Northern Entrance to Shakespeare Bay ABC PDF PDF
2 Northern Entrance to Picton Harbour ABC PDF PDF
3 Northern Entrance to No.1 Anchorage ABC PDF PDF
4 Northern Entrance to No.2 Anchorage ABC PDF PDF
5 Northern Entrance to Momorangi Bay, via No.2 Anchorage ABC PDF PDF
6 Northern Entrance to Q Anchorage C PDF PDF
7 Northern Entrance to Ship Cove C PDF PDF
8 Northern Entrance to Resolution Bay C PDF PDF
9 Resolution Bay to Ship Cove C PDF PDF
10 No.1 Anchorage to Shakespeare Bay ABC PDF PDF
11 No.2 Anchorage to Shakespeare Bay ABC PDF PDF
12 No.1 Anchorage to Picton Harbour ABC PDF PDF
13 No.2 Anchorage to Picton Harbour ABC PDF PDF
14 Northern Entrance to Endeavour Inlet C PDF PDF
15 Northern Entrance to Bay of Many Coves C PDF PDF
16 Endeavour Inlet to Picton Harbour C PDF PDF
17 Resolution Bay to Endeavour Inlet C PDF PDF
18 Northern Entrance to Torea Bay C PDF PDF
19 Torea Bay to Picton Harbour C PDF PDF
20 Bay of Many Coves to Picton Harbour C PDF PDF
21 Northern Entrance to Shakespeare Bay via East Channel ABC PDF PDF
22 Tory Channel to Picton Harbour ABC PDF PDF
23 Tory Channel to Shakespeare Bay ABC PDF PDF
24 Tory Channel to Northern Entrance ABC PDF PDF
25 Ship Cove to Picton Harbour C PDF PDF
26 Ship Cove to Momorangi Bay, via No.2 Anchorage C PDF PDF
27 Momorangi Bay to Picton Harbour ABC PDF PDF

Further detailed information on radar ranges and bearings, radar PI’s, visual navigation marks and wheel over positions for each standard route are available on request from the Pilots Office.

Manoeuvring Information

Standard manoeuvres on and off each berth are listed below with pdf diagrams that can be downlaoded.

Towage details for each manoeuvre will vary with vessel type and the conditions of the day. These will be discussed and agreed with the bridge team during the information exchange after pilot boarding.

Clearing distances and the proximity to other vessels will be discussed and agreed with the bridge team during the information exchange after pilot boarding.

Arrivals

No. Description Plan
1 Waimahara, port side to, cargo vessel PDF
2 Waimahara, port side to, passenger vessel PDF
3 Waimahara, starboard side to, starboard swing, cargo vessel PDF
4 Waimahara, starboard side to, port swing, passenger vessel PDF
5 Waitohi, port side to, passenger vessel PDF
6 Waitohi, starboard side to, starboard swing PDF
7 Waitohi, starboard side to, port swing PDF

Departures

No. Description Plan
1 Waimahara, port side to, starboard swing, cargo vessel PDF
2 Waimahara, port side to, port swing, cargo vessel PDF
3 Waimahara, port side to, starboard swing, passenger vessel PDF
4 Waimahara, starboard side to, cargo vessel PDF
5 Waimahara, starboard side to, passenger vessel PDF
6 Waitohi, port side to, starboard swing PDF
7 Waitohi, port side to, port swing PDF
8 Waitohi, starboard side to PDF

Berth Information

There are two commercial wharves available for compulsory pilotage vessels, Waimahara Wharf (in Shakespeare Bay) and Waitohi Wharf (in Picton Harbour).

Waimahara Wharf

Waimahara Wharf is designed as a multi- purpose berth and is predominantly used for log exports and as a berth for large cruise ships.

Specifications

Berth Specifications
Wharf Length 200 metres
Wharf Width 29 metres
Height 4.5 metres above MLWS
Berth heading 024.5°/204.5°
Berth pocket dimensions 380m x 70m x 11.5m

380m x 40m x 15.0m

Max draft 13.5m
Max LOA 350m. All vessels greater than LOA 200m are assessed individually prior to acceptance.
Max moulded breadth 50m. All vessels greater than 32.3m are assessed individually prior to acceptance
Max displacement
Bollards 100t SWL cast steel at 12 metre spacing. Addition cast steel bollards of 100t and 150t SWL are positioned on the shore line for large vessels. (see mooring plan and soundings)
Fendering Rubber sprung timber facing to wharf
Construction Reinforced concrete with 200 octagonal pre-stressed concrete piles, 29 metres long and 600 mm diameter
Deck 750 mm concrete, designed to accommodate travelling crane
Axle Loading 100 tonnes
Quayside Storage 10 hectares

Waitohi Wharf

Waitohi Wharf is a general-purpose finger wharf predominantly used by roll on-roll off vessels, small cruise ships, fishing and cement vessels.

Specifications

Wharf Length 240 metres
Wharf Width 20 metres
Height 4.5 metres above MLWS
Berth heading 042.5°/222.5°
Berth pocket dimension 245m x 50m x 9.0m
Max draft 8.0m – 10.0m, depending on postion within the berth pocket. (See mooring plan and soundings)
Max LOA 245m. All vessels greater than 200m LOA will be assessed individually prior to acceptance.
Max moulded breadth 32.3m (Panamax)
Max displacement
Bollards 30-100 tonne steel at approx. 10 metre spacing. (see mooring plan and soundings)
Construction
Deck
Axle Loading
Fendering UHMW Polyethylene facing steel piles with Super Cone rubber fenders.

Mooring plan and Soundings

The plan shows the layout and SWL of all mooring bollards and the most recent soundings for the berth pocket,

WAIMAHARA WHARF – 1 METRE CONTOUR SPACING AND MOORING CAPACITY

WAITOHI WHARF – 1 METRE CONTOUR SPACING AND MOORING CAPACITY