On the Way to Auckland!

A team from Auckland has been hard at work in Abu Dhabi getting 140 shipping containers ready to load on the ship for New Zealand in preparation for the Auckland Stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race which runs from 8 - 18 March.

The containers are being loaded with equipment for the six participating teams' shore bases, the massive Volvo Pavilion and other Race Village installations that make up the Volvo Experience.

 

The short intervals between Stopovers means that the Race organisers and participating teams have created two identical sets of equipment. Each set of containers leapfrogs the other around the world. Hence the containers for Auckland are coming from Abu Dhabi and then heading on to Miami while the other set leaves the Sanya Stopover for Itajai, Brazil.

 

New Zealand’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) is responsible for maintaining biosecurity and all imports to New Zealand must meet strict standards before clearance by MAF.

 

MAF Quarantine Inspectors Warren Collier and Vincent Boyd, DHL Import Warehouse Team Leader Charlie Pawa and Ben Williams, the Logistics and Teams Manager for the Auckland Stopover, have travelled to Abu Dhabi to work with the Volvo Ocean Race logistics team to ensure the containers and contents are free of contamination before the containers are sealed and loaded onto the ship. This MAF pre-clearance saves significant time as it means that the containers can be transported directly into the Auckland Race Village rather than having to undergo biosecurity checks on entry to New Zealand.

 

“We have a very tight build schedule for the Auckland Race Village,” says Port Director Tom Mayo. “We are very grateful to MAF for their assistance in working with us in Abu Dhabi to set up this pre-clearance for the Volvo Ocean Race containers and to DHL for their support.”