Port Otago’s new $7 million tug Arihi was yesterday unloaded from cargo ship MV Deltagracht and placed directly into the water at Port Chalmers.
Its 16,000km delivery journey from Tuzla, in Turkey, as deck cargo on Deltagracht, took about two months.
Cranes on Deltagracht manoeuvred the 200-tonne-plus Arihi into the water without incident by about 5.20pm.
The 18.7m-long Arihi is a tug in its own right, with a 30-tonne bollard pull, and will at times work alongside Port Otago’s larger 24m tugs Otago and Taiaroa, which have bollard pulls of 58 tonnes and 68 tonnes respectively.
However, Arihi’s main purpose will be as the work boat towing the barge Hapuka, being used to deepen and widen the shipping channel, and other wharfside works.
Arihi completed sea trials off Istanbul in April before being loaded aboard Deltagracht for the $500,000 delivery.
Arihi is named after the granddaughter of local chief Karetai — Alice, born in 1861.
Port Otago chief executive Geoff Plunket said the combination of Arihi and Hapuka was an important addition to Port Otago’s dredging equipment, which includes its suction dredge the Dunedin-built New Era.
"They support both the ongoing dredging within the Dunedin port area and the deepening programme which is currently under way," Mr Plunket said.
● A small private yacht, loaded aboard Deltagracht in Gibraltar, was also offloaded at Port Chalmers yesterday, in readiness for road transport to its owner in Auckland.
