Media Release

New barge to strengthen Regional Councils fleet

After a lengthy tender process, which attracted interest from overseas, Regional Council have contracted McMullen & Wing to design and build their new multi role vessel.

Bay of Plenty Harbourmaster Peter Buell says with the contract now signed and sealed the new boat should be ready by mid-2017.

“The new barge style boat will enable rapid deployment of specialist oil recovery and containment equipment such as a skimmer. It will massively increase our ability to respond to marine oil spills in Tauranga Harbour and beyond. The sizeable platform, and built in crane, will also enable us to perform our own basic maintenance on navigation aids and recover any debris in the water.”

“In the end we went for a company that were competitive, experienced and have the technical skills required. Having built a similar style vessel for Auckland Council, these guys really know what they are doing”, says Mr Buell.

Regional Councils Maritime team help to keep Bay of Plenty waterways free of navigational hazards and safe for everyone to enjoy. Six hundred thousand has already been set aside for this in the Long-term Plan.

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