New operations manager Alistair Simmers has long been familiar with Port Taranaki.

He’s worked for Liquigas and Methanex, two key customers of the port, but says his knowledge of the port was limited. “When you delve into it, there’s a lot that goes on here. For me it was time for a change after seven years at Liquigas, and I’d always liked the look of the port, and it’s profile. I’d always enjoyed my dealings with the staff here and I’ve always been aware they’ve got some very good people.’’

After five weeks as part of the commercial team, Alistair says he’s already enjoying it immensely. “My role is land-based operations, looking after security, the cargo handling team, logs and, of course, the tanker terminal.’’

Alistair is a process engineer by trade. “Essentially I dealt with chemicals and chemical reactions. I spent a lot of time at Methanex working on the process of how natural gas was converted into methanol.’’

Alistair is married with three children and a baby on the way, so there’s not much chance of him getting bored.

“I grew up in Tapanui, in West Otago, and arrived in Taranaki 20 years ago. I worked for the Lactose company and lived in Hawera for two years before shifting to New Plymouth to join Methanex.’’

In announcing Alistair’s appointment, Guy Roper said he was pleased to welcome Alistair to the position of Operations Manager.

Alistair was recently involved in completing safety cases for the Liquigas facilities at Dunedin and New Plymouth so is well versed in the demands of the petrochemicals industry and how the new HSE legislation will apply.

He has been responsible for the safe and efficient operation of the LPG facilities across New Zealand and all that goes with that.

Alistair is a leader with a strong ability to form positive relationships with staff, colleagues and customers alike. He has experience in strategic planning and will be an active contributor to our strategic themes of Operational Excellence and Continuous Improvement.