New tugs nearing completion

The Port of Tauranga will welcome two new tugs over the coming weeks, with the first expected to hit the water and arrive ready for work around May 23.

The second of the estimated $20 million pair is expected to arrive about four-to-six weeks later, says Port of Tauranga operations manager Phil Julian.


One of the new tugs. Photo: Supplied.

They are to be named Tai Pari and Tai Timu – flood tide and ebb tide. For the builders, Cheoy Lee of Hong Kong, they are hull numbers 5077, and 5078.

'The first one is due to be completed on the 23rd of this month,” says Phil, and it should be here by May 23rd I'm guessing.

'It will take about a month to bring it down here, and the next one is about a month to six weeks behind that.

'We've got our staff up there at the moment overseeing the finishing off and they will be brought down by a professional delivery crew.”

Buying tugs from Hong Kong is a departure for the Port of Tauranga, which until now has built all of its tugs in Whangarei. The last one was Sir Robert – now 12-years-old.

The decision to buy offshore is based on manufacturing capacity, but cost is also a factor admits Phil. Much of the componentry is manufactured in bulk in China.

'These guys specialise,” says Phil. 'The tug company we are building with has built over 70 tugs and have a huge amount of experience, knowledge and capability. It's a highly sophisticated tug and these guys are good at building them.”

The tugs have the same configuration as the Sir Robert, with an azimuth stern drive and power delivered through shrouded propeller housings on vertical shafts that can be rotated through 360 degrees, meaning the tug can move at full power in any direction.

It's a style the port is familiar with, and is a highly manoeuvrable and powerful tug for its 24m size. The new tugs will have a 74-tonne bollard pull, whereas the Sir Robert has a 50 tonne bollard pull.

The tug upgrade is part of a general infrastructure investment programme the port company is undertaking to position Tauranga as the North Island port capable of handling the larger container ships expected in the near future.

The more powerful tugs are part of a near $350 million campaign which got underway in 2013.

It includes the $30 million Sulphur Point wharf extension, another $12 million Liebherr Post-Panamax container crane, six more straddle carriers at about $1 million each and a $50 million harbour dredging programme that will increase the low water port draft from 12.9m to 16m.

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1 comment

Made in China

Posted on 08-04-2015 02:45 | By Kenworthlogger

When will we ever learn????


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