Super Boat Arrives

The first Marine Rescue NSW super boat has arrived at Port Hacking as the emergency service introduces a new generation of larger, musclier rescue vessels to save lives on the water. Police and Emergency Services Minister David Elliott handed over the new $850,000 rescue vessel to volunteers from Marine Rescue Botany Port Hacking. Botany Hacking 30 is a new model in the MRNSW fleet – a 12 metre Naiad – specifically developed to provide more power, faster acceleration, greater range and a smoother passage through the ocean chop and swell, along with more cabin and deck space.

Built by Yamba Welding & Engineering on the NSW North Coast, Botany Hacking 30 is bristling with a full suite of the latest electronic search and rescue, navigation and communications technology and advanced first aid equipment, including oxygen and a defibrillator. It is powered by three 325HP duo prop Suzuki outboards and is equipped with a crane for recovering people and hazards from the water and extra deck space for treating or reviving patients and for aero-medical crews to winch on to in serious medical emergencies.

The muscle boats’ larger size also expands their range, with the vessels able to travel between 250 and 350 nautical miles before refueling, extending the time that crews can spend at sea on large-scale search operations. Marine Rescue Botany Port Hacking Unit Commander Noel Parkinson welcomed the delivery of the vessel for the unit’s offshore work.

“The extra size and power will be a tremendous asset to our crews, particularly when they are heading offshore in poor weather and large seas,” he said.