The crane barge Smit Borneo is berthed at the Port of Tauranga after completing a near one-month long voyage from Singapore.

The barge is in Tauranga to assist salvors remove containers from the Rena, now stranded on the Astrolabe Reef for two months after running aground on October 5.

The Smit Borneo is tugged into the Port of Tauranga. See video below of Maritime New Zealand salvage advisor Captain Jon Walker talking about this vessel.

The 110m long and 30m wide barge departed Singapore on November 8 and will spend the next few days in port being prepared for the Rena operation.

It is equipped with a pedestal crane with a 54m reach and a maximum lifting capacity of 500 tonnes.

This enables the Smit Borneo to remove containers beyond the reach of the smaller barge in use until this time; the Sea Tow 60.

The Smit Borneo is restricted in its operation by bad weather in the same way that the Sea Tow 60 is.

The Smit Borneo has an accommodation capacity of 152 people.