Tug & Barge

Heron have a wide variety of tugs, from the dredge tenders Buka and Rua to the ocean going tugs Kurutai and Pacific Way. The Kurutai and Pacific Way have been used to mobilise backhoe dredges and hopper barges from project to project both locally and internationally, tow split hopper barges to dredge disposal ground, assist with the installation of ocean outfalls pipelines and respond to requests for assistance from stricken vessels that required either towing or escorting to a port for repairs.

All our vessels are maintained to the highest level and they all comply with Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) Maritime Operator Safety System (MOSS). The crews all hold relevant MNZ qualifications and are highly experienced with tugs and towing operations.

To complement our backhoe dredging operations Heron Construction have 3 pairs of split hopper barges; Kaheru and Kahara (240m3), WH761 and WH762 (750m3) and H1201 and H1202 (1200m3). These barges can be used to transport everything from rock to marine sediment and this material can either be disposed of at sea or removed from the barge at a wharf by an excavator for use on land.

The modular backhoe dredge Combi and cement stabilisation barge Mesenge can both be reconfigured to flat top spudded construction barges for operations such as piling, salvage, bridge or wharf construction, fireworks displays, temporary Dangerous Goods (DG) container storage for visiting ships in port.

Heron also own and operate the jack-up barge Tuhura, flat top barge Cronus, and tug Capricorn Alpha.

As with our tugs all our barges are maintained to the highest level and they have Maritime New Zealand Barge Safety Certificates (BSC).