Port Otago’s new $6 million tug boat, Arihi, arrived in Port Chalmers today from the shipbuilders in Turkey following a two-month 16,000km voyage as deck cargo on the MV Deltagracht.
The 18.7m Arihi, which has a 30-tonne bollard pull, will join Port Otago’s larger tugs the Otago and Taiaroa as a workboat to primarily tow the barge Hapuka and then act as backup for moving ships.
The Deltagracht’s cranes lifted the tug and other cargo, including a privately-owned yacht, into the water this morning.
“Together the Arihi and Hapuka represent a valuable addition to Port Otago by supporting both the ongoing dredging within the Dunedin seaport area and the deepening programme, currently under way,” says Port Otago chief executive Geoff Plunket.
