Lyttelton port remains closed

Overall, the port said that until there was a clearer picture of the damage sustained to key infrastructure, port operations would remain suspended, with the key focus being to “recover elements of key services as quickly as possible to ensure food and all essential supplies can get in”.

The port’s preliminary engineering assessment carried out today (23 February) had revealed that the wharves on the container facility had held up well but that there are urgent minor works to be done.

“We are aiming to have limited operations available within three to four days”, the statement added. “Our current best estimate to get back to our previous operation service levels prior to the 6.3 quake is in 10 days.”