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BREAKDOWN RACKS UP THE BILLS The Royal New Zealand Navy's multi-role ship HMNZS Canterbury racked up a repair bill of around $250,000 after she broke down in June while on her way to a Brisbane dry dock for maintenance. It was the latest in a series of problems to strike the ship since she was commissioned in Melbourne in 2007. Canterbury was heading to Brisbane when the turbocharger on her starboard engine failed shortly after the ship left Devonport, forcing her to turn back for repairs. The repairs took a week, and the Navy says the manufacturer is still investigating the cause of the turbocharger problem. When Canterbury resumed her voyage she had another engine breakdown at sea. The captain ordered the engine to be shut down and she continued on one engine while engineers worked to fix an injector blockage. "The cost of the repairs was approximately $250,000, with about $200,000 of this cost being replacement parts," said a Navy spokesperson. The manufacturer was investigating if the original parts could be repaired and returned to naval stores as spares. The breakdown meant Canterbury was a week late docking in Brisbane, but staff worked long hours and she returned to New Zealand on schedule. The contract included removing the propellers, shafts and rudders, replacing valves and repainting the hull. The $130 million ship has been plagued with problems since her commission, including the loss of one of her rigid hulled inflatable boats, and the death in 2007 of Byron Solomon when the RHIB he was in capsized during an exercise. WELLINGTON RAISES NAVY'S PROFILE Fisheries Minister Phil Heatley acknowledged the crew of HMNZS Wellington with a presentation in September to mark the first high seas fisheries compliance operation involving the Royal New Zealand Navy's new offshore patrol vessels. Operation Zodiac was a superb example of how collaborative, inter-agency work could protect New Zealand's wider fisheries interests, Heatley said. The operation took place in the most northern part of New Zealand's exclusive economic zone and around the Kermadec Islands. Six fishery officers from the Ministry of Fisheries joined the crew to undertake the first high seas boarding and inspection of foreign-flagged vessels by New Zealand. Eighteen foreign-flagged tuna longliners were boarded and inspected between July 25 and August 10, but no serious violations of Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission standards were detected, Heatley said. Information from Operation Zodiac would help identify issues that needed to be considered when determining appropriate fisheries management arrangements for the Te Vaka Moana countries of New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Tonga, Samoa, Niue and Tokelau. "This will ensure both long-term sustainability and improved economic benefits. "We are now able to monitor our own EEZ and also contribute to monitoring, control and surveillance objectives in the wider Pacific," Heatley said. "In future, New Zealand will have a higher maritime profile in the region and will conduct joint patrolling with other countries." CHOPPERS GROUNDED The Navy's five Seasprite helicopters, worth $350 million, are struggling to stay in the air as the Defence Force battles corrosion and a lack of staff to maintain the "orphan" fleet. The Maritime Bondage Specialists Chains: Short Links, Regular Links, Long Links, Stainless Steel, Mooring, Security, Decorative, Stud Links, Ball, All and more. Ropes: 8 Braids, Yachting Braids, Dyneema, Vectran, PBO, Multiplaits, Anchor Paks, Marina Lines, Polyprop, Nylon, Polyester, 3 Strand, Mooring and more. Anchors: Plow, Spade, Rocna, Supreme, Danforth, Delta, Sarca, Folding Grapnels, Fixed Grapnels, Mini Hall, CQR, Sword, Kewene, Claw, Stockless, Pool and more. Huge range of stock backed by straight talking advice. Phone 09 444 8212 Fax 09 444 8286 info@chain.co.nz www.chainsropesandanchors.co.nz November/December 2011 Professional Skipper 69 A Ministry of Defence report says three of the Kaman SH-2G (New Zealand) Seasprite anti-submarine helicopters have to be flying at any one time, but last October only one could get in the air and earlier this year just two were available. Because of the need to keep the helicopters flying, the military was constantly deferring operational level maintenance, creating a bow-wave of deferred maintenance. Engineers were finding corrosion or vibration damage, probably caused by a lack of awareness by staff and training deficiencies, the Air Force said. Air Vice-Marshall Peter Stockwell said the Seasprites were ideal for their naval role and "absolutely safe to fly". Deferment was often necessary when the aircraft were on frigates at sea. "It is very carefully managed," he said. VIP.S84