Posted on November 11, 2026
The 1,000 m³ trailing suction hopper dredger Kapuka, built for New Zealand’s Port Otago and Napier Port, is undergoing sea trials at 189 Shipyard in Vietnam ahead of its delivery, now scheduled for February 2027.
During trials, the vessel achieved just under 10 knots fully loaded and successfully completed speed, endurance and dredging tests, including loading a full hopper of thick clay.
Final acceptance is expected in mid-November, followed by hull cleaning and underwater finishing work in early December.
The NZ$36 million vessel measures 58.7 metres in length, with a beam of 12.2 metres and a deadweight of 1,400 tonnes. It is equipped with twin azimuthing thrusters, a bow thruster and dredging pumps capable of approximately 2,000 m³ per hour.
Kapuka will carry out maintenance, capital and emergency dredging at both ports, eventually replacing Port Otago’s 1985-built dredger New Era.
