New addition to the fleet

Otago Regional Council harbourmaster Steve Rushbrook stands in front of the council’s ‘‘new’’ 8.5m Rayglass Protector delivered to the harbourmaster’s office in Halsey St, Dunedin, this week from Auckland.

The council said in a statement yesterday the $92,000 boat was bought from the Auckland Council after the northern council’s fleet was replaced with boats retired from the America’s Cup campaign.

The new boat would be based in Dunedin and used in the coastal Otago area for water safety programmes, oil spill containment, maritime emergency management, navigational safety bylaw education and enforcement.

The present harbourmaster vessel, the 7m Kaitiaki, would be taken to Cromwell, primarily for use on Lake Dunstan.

The new vessel would be officially blessed and named early next month, the council said.