Brand-new Kokako started shipping petroleum products from Refining NZ at Marsden Point to ports around New Zealand in mid-January, and is scheduled for its first visit to Dunedin on February 23 or 24.
Kokako's arrival completes the renewal of Coastal Oil Logistics Ltd's (COLL) time-chartered tanker fleet, the company having already taken into charter another new vessel, MT Matuku in mid-2016, which has been to Dunedin several times.
The 183m-long fuel delivery ship Kakariki made its last delivery to Dunedin in December, to be retired after almost 19 years' service. Kakariki left New Zealand last month and will be sold.
Kakariki made more than 750 voyages around the country from Refining NZ, delivering more than 22.6billion litres of petroleum products
Built in Ulsan in South Korea, the double-hull, 182m-long Kokako is 49,000 deadweight tonnes.
COLL chief executive Jon Kelly said Kokako was specifically built for New Zealand trade, and was unique in its ability to carry bitumen plus other products, including regular and premium petrol, diesel and jet fuel.
It is fitted with state-of-the-art ballast water-treatment system designed to reduce the risk of introducing non-native marine species into New Zealand when exchanging ballast water.
Kokako and Matuku are owned by the ASP Ship Management Group, which charters the vessels to COLL through its Wellington based manager, Silver Fern Shipping Ltd.
Petroleum products are delivered around the country on behalf of COLL shareholders BP Oil New Zealand, Mobil Oil New Zealand and Z Energy.
