A New Zealand-built pilot
vessel has begun operating
at CentrePort, Wellington’s
commercial shipping port.
NamedTe H a a,meaning‘the
breath’, the jet-propelled boat
will operate far out into Cook
Strait–wellknownforitsadverse
shippingconditions–andhasa
maximum speed of 32kt.
CentrePort says it will
provide significant time and
fuel efficiencies as it delivers
pilots to ships visiting
Wellington.
The19.5mlong,5.7mwide
pilot boat was designed by
UK-based Camarc Design to
meet Maritime New Zealand
Part 40C, Restricted Coast
Limits survey requirements.
PoweredbyapairofScania
DI16 076M diesels coupled to
HamiltonHM461waterjets,the
aluminium monohull has an
operational speed of 24kt.
Colin Mitchell, general
manager at boatbuilder
Q-West, was pleased to
win the project through a
competitive international
tender process.“Wewereextremelyproud
to be selected, and of the
men and women that have
producedthis quality craft,”
he said.
“CentrePortnowhaveone
ofthemosthigh-techpilot
vesselsinNewZealand,
andwelookforwardto
continuing our long-
standing relationship with
them in the future.”
CentrePort’s chief
executive, Derek Nind, said
he was pleased the port
decidedtobuildtheshipinNew pilot boat for Wellington
New Zealand.
“It’s fantastic that Kiwi
expertise came together to
produce this vessel,” he said.
“The jets came from
Hamilton Jet in Christchurch,
the Scania engines were
supplied by South Pacific
Diesel Systems in Porirua,
the electronics were
supplied and fitted by ENL
in Nelson, and it was all put
together at Q-West Boat
Builders in Whanganui.
“Te H a a will help us
accommodate future growth
and larger ships in Wellington
Harbour.
“The vessel will provide
significant health and safety
benefits to our pilots and
launch crews, since it has
been designed to provide
a safe platform in adverse
weather.
“She will enable central
New Zealand businesses to
connect with international
markets, and provide a new
level of safety, speed and
effi ciency.”
CentrePort is a returning
customer for Q-West, which built
its current vessel, the quarter-
century old Tarakena.
Tarakena is still in service,
and following a refurbishment
at Q-West will take the role of
CentrePort’s backup pilot vessel.A formal proposal has
been made for a new ferry
terminal and tourism
precinct in Townsville.
The $56 million
proposal, led by national
tourism operator SeaLink,
working in partnership
with Queensland
developer Honeycombes
Property Group, includes
construction of a state-of-
the-art ferry terminal, new
ferries, interstate coach
transport interchange
area, visitor centre, short-
stay accommodation,
commercial offi ces, cafes,
retail outlets and travel/tour
booking stations that would
encourage the co-location
and expansion of a number
of existing and new tourism
operators.
SeaLink regional general
manager north Queensland
& Northern Territory, Paul
Victory, said that SeaLink
was committed to seeing the
project delivered.
“The current facilities in
Townsville are tired and in
desperate need of renewal
to facilitate transport forlocal residents and growth in
tourism,” he said.
“SeaLink has great
confi dence in the potential
for tourism growth in the
North Queensland region.”
The current Breakwater
Ferry Terminal operated by
SeaLink is a major tourism
operation for the city, with
over a million passengers
and more than 14,000 vessel
movements annually.
The proposed new
terminal would be equipped
to accommodate multiple
marine tourism operatorsand allow for future market
growth.
As part of the proposal,
SeaLink is investigating
a city-cat service master
plan to operate smaller
ferry services to various
locations along the creek-
front, including the stadium,
Flinders Street, Central Park
and the Quayside Cruise
Terminal.
If approved, construction
will commence in mid-2018.
SeaLink expects to submit
detailed plans and the
business case in late 2017.Ferry and tourism proposal for Townsville
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