Tokelau barges,
'MADE IN NZ'
New Zealand sent $17m to Tokelau's
1400 people in 2011/2012. While this money
could have just been handed over and
disappeared, instead, it is being spent on
projects like the solar power project recently
in the news, which has made the old,
expensive, noisy diesel generators that used
to be such an unpleasant feature of island
life, pleasantly redundant.
A
lthough the 2000 barrels of diesel a year that
used to be lightered from ship to shore by barge
will not be an issue in the future, all the tools,
materials and day to day goods that are part of
Tokelau's sustainable development still have to be lightered
to these tiny islands; and that is where New Zealand boat
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All transmission, marine gearbox repairs and parts
New, reconditioned and second-hand
Exchange service available on most units
On or off site in greater Auckland area
www.moonengines.co.nz
Email: james@moonengines.co.nz
78
NZ WORKBOAT REVIEW 2013
VIP.S90
Phone: 09 828 3524, 021 2805 462
606 Rosebank Road, Avondale, Auckland
builders come in to this eminently sensible story.
Last year New Zealand aid money was used to contract
Allenco Marine of Matamata to build two sturdy barges.
They had to be suitable for the rough treatment and
wear and tear they would get in the islands, as well as
manoeuvrable and capable of carrying the huge variety
of freight needed by people living there.
The barges were made with 8mm bottom plate
with 6mm sides, and were built mainly for cargo and
passengers, but as they will also have to take the very
occasional vehicle, the 6mm treadplate deck is replaced
with 10mm aluminium decking on the wheel strips, for
a little extra oomph. To unload the vehicles, the barge
also has separately mountable ramps to allow the vehicles
to be driven off the barges once in the port. Below the
deck, the hull has 75mm x 40mm rectangular girders
and cross-frames, the whole being divided into eight
watertight compartments. The barges have a dry weight
of around 5.5 tonnes, with an official rating of 12 tonnes
capacity, and a built in 30 tonne reserve buoyancy.
Power is provided by two 75hp outboards, the outboards
being pretty much an island standard motor renowned
for their ruggedness and simplicity of maintenance.
These, although supplied by Matamata Marine, had to be
freighted in to New Zealand from Australia, as they are
not a common motor here. They were packed separately
to be installed once the barges reached Tokelau.
The barges made their way from Matamata, via the
Port of Auckland, to Samoa, where they were off loaded,
with the first barge being towed from there up for
delivery in Tokelau, while the second barge, delivered a
month or two later, was able to be shipped as deck cargo
all the way to the islands with the regular delivery run.
Prior to the delivery, once Allenco were made aware of
the true operating conditions expected in the Tokelaus,
they took it on their own bat to install the barges with
