Port of Auckland

Table of Contents

SmartShelters’ Sky-High Solution: Custom Workshop for Port of Auckland

A Unique Need:

The Port of Auckland needed a unique, purpose-built, weather-protected structure to safely and efficiently service their straddle carriers — massive vehicles essential to their daily port operations. The space had to be large enough to accommodate multiple straddle carriers at once, provide safe access for maintenance staff, and withstand high coastal wind conditions.

Pushing Boundaries

SmartShelters has been a trusted partner of the Port of Auckland for over 15 years, providing a range of solutions from compact storage shelters to large-scale workshop facilities. This project, however, took customisation to a whole new level.

Standing atop six stacked containers, this is the tallest container-mounted shelter SmartShelters has ever designed and built — and, to our knowledge, the tallest of its kind in the world. The structure offers an impressive internal clearance height of approximately 24 metres, providing ample room for four straddle carriers to be serviced simultaneously.

To ensure full protection and functionality:

A suspended front wall blocks incoming wind, while a rear end wall, mounted to four stacked containers, fully encloses the back.
Inside, a dedicated platform with a staircase, lift, and ladder system provides safe access for maintenance crews to reach the full height of the straddle carriers.
A gantry crane, running along the tops of the containers, enables efficient heavy lifting.
Comprehensive lighting, overhead and along the container sides, ensures a safe, well-lit working environment at all hours.

Future-proof infrastructure

This project is a testament to SmartShelters’ ability to deliver highly customised, large-scale solutions that meet the unique operational requirements of New Zealand’s busiest ports. Over the years, SmartShelters has also supported other contractors working on site, including Holcim for a large cement bagging shelter and McConnell Dowell for temporary workshops during major civil projects.

Product details:

✅ 24m wide x 39m long container-mounted shelter

✅ Forty- four 40ft high cube containers, stacked six high on the sides and four high at the rear, and four custom 8ft x 8ft containers to support the rear corners

✅ Suspended front wall

✅ Rear end wall mounted to containers

✅ Fire retardant fabric cladding

✅ Twistlock mounting beams

✅ Steel vents

✅ Steel personnel access doors

✅ Zinc-aluminium guttering with downpipes on both sides