Rapa Nui Shipping

On Rapa Nui (Easter Island) I saw the first of the container barges that are used to unload containers. The barges are based at a small boat Harbour at Hanga Piko, on the northern coast of Rapa Nui on the edge of the Hanga Roa township.

The boat Harbour has a water depth of 4m, and a 100m long cargo wharf. They have built a small breakwater to protect it from the ocean swells. The approach to the Harbour has numerous volcanic rocks protruding out of the water.

The cargo barges are operated by SASIPA (Agricola y Servicios Isla de Pascua), in addition to operating the Islands electricity & water supplies.

They have 3 motorised barges, that are 14m long and a draft of 1.0m. They are powered by a inbuilt engine driving a propellor. Each barge is capable of carrying a 20' container with a maximum weight of 38 tonnes. Shoreside they have a Tadano 60 tonne mobile crane to lift the containers ashore from the barges.

They get 2 ships a month from Chile, and are able to move a cargo load of 20 containers from ship to shore in 3 hours.

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