The five Red Boat vessels call periodically at Dunedin for annual surveys but Lady of the Sounds will be in Dunedin until the end of August, Caledonian Marine and Engineering Services managing director Alasdair Morrison said yesterday.
In mid-June, private Dunedin company Skeggs Group announced it had paid $17.3 million for the Milford Sound assets of listed Tourism Holdings Ltd, including its high-profile Red Boat passenger service.
It was understood the refit was worth several hundred thousand dollars.
Once refitted, Lady of the Sounds would have reduced passenger capacity, from about 150 to 120, but its rebuilt foredeck would offer extended day nature-cruises and facilities for tourists, Mr Morrison said.
The Milford assets purchased by Skeggs include the five day-trip Milford Sound Red Boats, the Milford Deep Underwater Observatory, the Blue Duck Cafe and a 49% shareholding in the infrastructure organisation Milford Sound Development Authority, whose assets include the Milford wharves and terminal.
Lady of the Sounds is due to come off the slipway within a week and work will continue while it is berthed in the upper harbour.
It will be replaced on the slipway by the Red Boat Spirit of Milford, which is in Dunedin briefly for its annual survey and maintenance work.
The last major Red Boat refit was completed in September 2005, when the 13m Lady Bowen was in Dunedin for a 12-week refit, costing more than $500,000.
That was preceded by a $1 million refit of Spirit of Milford.
The 90-passenger Lady Bowen is the only mono-hull Red Boat vessel.
At the time, it was the third Red Boat to be refitted during the previous two years, including the refurbishment of a purchased vessel, at a total cost of $7.9 million.
