Key personnel from Otago and Napier port's marine teams have been keeping a close eye on the Kapuka build and were on site at Damen shipbuilder’s Yard 189 in Hai Phong, Vietnam, last week. This is the new $36 million trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD), owned by Napier Port and Port Otago and due to arrive in New Zealand in December.
The name Kapuka means “to scoop out with both hands together”.
According to Napier Port, the sheer scale of the Kapuka is such that she has taken almost two years to build.
Commissioning will begin next month, followed by sea trials. The new dredger is expected to reach Port Chalmers in December, with a Damen crew undertaking the 32 to 38 day journey from Vietnam.
The TSHD has a capacity of 1000m3, a deadweight of 1400 tons with pump performance of approximately 2000m3/hour.