America's Cup: Luna Rossa base construction starts Monday
by Danielle van Sambeek/Sail-World.com/nz 9 Jan 03:32 PST
10 January 2019
The 70m barge and crane that be used for dredging work for the America's Cup bases © Wynyard Edge
Hobson Wharf extension work will start from next week - beginning 14 January - along with dredging. The Hobson Wharf extension is the proposed site for the base for America's Cup Challenger of Record Circolo della Vela Sicilia and their team Luna Rossa. The other five challengers will be located on Wynyard Point, on which work commenced in November 2018.
Dredging of the approach channel to the outer Viaduct Harbour will start next week. Barges will then be used to move the dredged material for disposal. We have been through a lengthy exercise to determine how best to dispose of the material. The Environmental Protection Agency have certified and approved a specific amount of dredge for offshore disposal, to be done under an existing disposal permit. The remaining material that cannot be disposed of offshore will be stabilised (turned into mudcrete) on land and transported to a certified disposal location.
The Hobson Wharf extension work starts from week beginning 14 January and is part of the "heavy lifting" for the 2021 America's Cup, which will create area for six new team bases. One base "B" will be on Hobson Wharf, the other five Challengers will be housed in a mix of single and double base locations on Wynyard Point. Emirates Team New Zealand has already moved into their base facility in the former Viaducts Event Centre.
One of the largest pieces of equipment for the project – the 70m barge and crane – will arrive on Thursday 10 January at around 8am.
The barge will then be set up to commence pilling for the Hobson Wharf extension. The piling work is due to finish around July 2019 and the top deck will be finished and ready for handover a few months after that.
All works will comply with the resource consent conditions and approved project management plans.