"Over the last two years cargo volumes have increased and we need to grow our capacity to support future growth."
Napier Port Capability and Cruise Manager Bruce Lochhead said an extra tug will improve the ports ability to service vessels, including larger vessels, reduce congestion and delays, improve berth availability and maintain full marine services if one of the other two tugs is unavailable.
The new tug does have one point of difference compared to its current counterparts.
The Kaweka is an Azimuth Tractor Drive, compared to Te Mata and Ahuriri who have a Voith-type propeller.
A tractor tug will work well in Napier, as it is manoeuvrable, can operate in swell and can tow indirectly.
At 24m in length, the Kaweka has 72 tonnes of bollard pull.