The rescue watercraft are introduced as a response to an increase in incidents in the Harbour. The agile PWCs can reach areas impossible for larger rescue vessels, including shallow waters and sandbanks, making them a vital new addition to the Coastguard Titirangi toolkit. While the Titirangi volunteers are still in training mode, harbour users may see the PWCs out on the water with the expectation of being fully operational later this year.
Three Coastguard units operate on the Manukau Harbour – Titirangi, Papakura, and Waiuku. Titirangi’s new PWCs are currently based in Cornwallis, a location chosen to help reduce response times and improve access to key launch points near the bar. .
The new jet skis bring Coastguard’s national rescue watercraft fleet to 17, strengthening the organisation’s ability to respond swiftly across the country.
The Manukau Harbour has been identified as New Zealand’s highest fatality ‘blackspot’ having claimed 54 lives since 2000 – including 11 in the past decade.
Four volunteers are currently undergoing intensive training to become the unit’s first operational jet ski crew.
www.coastguard.nz
