page_title: Port Taranaki
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Port Taranaki / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Port Taranaki
context_page_description: Port Taranaki is a port complex located in New Plymouth, New Zealand. It is the only deep water port on the west coast of New Zealand, and is owned by the Taranaki Regional Council. The port handles a wide range of coastal and international cargoes, mostly relating to the farming, engineering and petrochemical industries. Shipping volumes decreased significantly over the period 2012 to 2015.
  Adjacent features include the city of New Plymouth, the New Plymouth Power Station and the Sugar Loaf Islands Marine Protected Area.
context_section_description: The port was established in 1875, and construction of the main breakwater began in 1881 with Frederic Carrington ceremoniously laying the first stone.
  In 2007, Port Taranaki became the first port in New Zealand to receive official recognition for its harbour safety management systems.
  In 2013, the port purchased most of the site of the decommissioned New Plymouth Power Station. This site is adjacent to the port and provided an additional 18 ha of land.
  In 2016, the port became the first port in New Zealand to be smoke free.
caption: Port Taranaki in 2003
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "", "Image Make": "SONY", "Image Model": "CD MAVICA", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image DateTime": "2008:02:10 11:16:50", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image ExifOffset": "218", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail Make": "SONY", "Thumbnail Model": "CD MAVICA", "Thumbnail Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "818", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "8060", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/500", "EXIF FNumber": "63/10", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "100", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0210", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2003:03:20 12:08:40", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2003:03:20 12:08:40", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "2", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "14/5", "EXIF MeteringMode": "CenterWeightedAverage", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash fired", "EXIF FocalLength": "61/10", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1600", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1200", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "642", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed"}