Construction of Marine Rescue Brunswick’s new replacement vessel, Brunswick 30 is progressing well with the installation of the cabin and fuel systems after work commenced at Yamba Welding and Engineering on the NSW Northern Rivers late last year.
Marine Rescue NSW Senior Manager Fleet Kelvin Parkin said the new Brunswick 30 is being delivered as part of the Service’s vessel replacement program.
“This boat is replacing the older Brunswick 30 vessel which is about 12 years old, she’s had a good life for the unit at Brunswick but the dated equipment and the changes and advancements in the search and rescue field mean that there is value in Marine Rescue NSW replacing the vessel.
“We look at our vessels, their age, strategic placement and local area requirements, balance it up with the current functionality and how we can improve the unit capability and it’s the right time to upgrade the Brunswick vessel,” he said.
Mr Parkin said the new Brunswick 30 is a 10 metre Naiad boat with improved technology.
“It has a more efficient hull shape with an axe head bow so she will be able to cross through the Brunswick Bar with ease and is powered by twin Suzuki 300 horsepower engines,” he said.
Mr Parkin said the replacement BR 30 features an impressive suite of search and rescue technology to assist volunteers with their mission of saving lives on the water.
“It will have the latest multi-function displays for the running systems on board the vessel, so the crew have access to everything they need technology wise at their fingertips.
“We are expecting the vessel to be ready for sea trials in early winter,” Mr Parkin said.
The NSW Government has contributed to the cost of the Brunswick replacement vessel to support the vital work of Marine Rescue NSW and its 3,300 volunteers.
Marine Rescue NSW is a volunteer based not-for-profit professional organisation dedicated to keeping boaters safe on the water and supporting local communities.