line between the container terminal in Hamilton and the inland port of MetroPort in Auckland's commercial zone, which handles 80 percent of the city's imports and exports. Tauranga has invested in another new Liebherr gantry
crane, bringing the total to five. The new crane can lift two containers at a time and is large enough to service ships up to 18 containers wide. On a more sober note, we saw two shipping incidents during October 2011. One involved the grounding of the 47,000 tonne Rena on Astrolabe Reef and the other was the 8000 tonne Schelde Trader, which lost power as she was leaving port and briefly came to rest under Mt Maunganui before the port's tugs were able to pull her clear. Because Tauranga Harbour has a challenging entrance, this places greater reliance on pilots to ensure ships navigate these waters safely. This means the pilot station is out in open water where the ocean swells can be very challenging for a jumping pilot. The new pilot launch Arataki is another example of the port's investment in new technology. The Tauranga II, built in Wanganui in 1985, had served the port well, and the experience gained put the management team in a good position to determine a new launch for the future. A small team led by the port marine manager and including a launch master, pilot and the launch maintenance engineer determined the requirements of a new vessel and kept an open mind on the specific design. Expressions of interest were requested from interested
parties within New Zealand and overseas, and various designs were submitted and considered. At the end of this process the team decided to go for a planing mono- hull. The winning tender was the Wanganui company Q-West, and a thorough specification and contract documents were drawn up after discussions with the builder and designer. Pilot boats have to perform the unique task of deliberately colliding with a moving ship so the pilot can transfer safely between them in various sea states and wind conditions. Conversely, the boat must be fast enough to catch a ship in order to evacuate the pilot as she leaves port. This presents a number of limitations on the design, as a pilot boat must be able to roll to 30 degrees without the cabin striking the ship. There cannot be outboard safety rails for the same reason and the bow rails need to be designed to provide maximum visibility to the coxswain during an approach. Good all-around visibility is also necessary from the cabin. The Arataki's safety rails are therefore inboard around the cabin with the deck crew and pilots clipping a harness onto a rolling car and track system. The plan form of the deck is tapered toward the stern
to allow her to turn away from a ship without striking the rear quarter. Her sea-keeping ability was given high priority, so her hull features a warped bottom with a fine, deep entry to deal with the specific sea conditions experienced out of Tauranga, including large, steep seas. In addition, she is design to cater for non-pilot duties such as search and rescue and recovery. This means access to the water and a recovery basket for picking people
Custom craft, high speed or displacement,custom built to your specifi cation
8a Neilpark Drive, Ea st Tamaki Ph 09 274 5586, Fax 09 274 8248 Email info@metaldesigns.co.nz
VIP.S68
www.metaldesigns.co.nz NZ WORKBOAT REVIEW 2012 25
VIP.WB12
