Fog at the entrance to Otago Harbour caused headaches for shipping and Port Otago over the weekend, as a queue of vessels waited for a chance to berth or set sail.
A fleet of six vessels — two cargo ships, three fishing trawlers and an oil tanker — were stationed off Taiaroa Head yesterday, unable to enter the harbour as scheduled because of thick fog blanketing the area over the weekend.
Three more vessels scheduled to depart Port Chalmers also remained securely moored for much of yesterday, unable to leave until visibility improved.
That included Spirit of Shanghai, a container ship which had been due to depart early yesterday, Port Otago chief executive Kevin Winders said.
The vessel was expected to finally get away last night, after a southerly change arrived and conditions began to lift, Mr Winders said.
The conditions had been "pretty unusual" for the time of year, as was the "logjam" of shipping off the coast, he said.
Port Otago staff had been stood down while the fog lingered, and pilots placed on standby to come in once conditions improved, he said.
"It’s been pretty frustrating and challenging for us for the last few days."
A MetService spokesman said the fog covered an "extensive" area yesterday, from Nugget Point to Oamaru, but was due to clear as last night’s southerly change came through.
