16 | Marine services well covered The Port Whangarei Marine Service Centre provides a comprehensive range of marine services, tailored to each vessel’s needs. Northland: Port Whangarei Marine Service Centre T T Sue Russell REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Nathan Tominson is Port Whangarei Marine Service Centre’s yacht support agent, assisting visitors to these waters to clear customers for crews on yacht’s from overseas and organising jobs to be done while yachts are in port. It’s a job he enjoys with certainly no two days the same, engaging with the teams working at the Marine Service’s two boat yards. “With two ship yards we have plenty of space, services and resources to offer boat owners,” Nathan says. Owned and managed by Martin Gleeson, who, since purchasing the facility some 15 years ago, has pushed hard to attract super-yachts to its doorstep. He’s achieved this by focusing on building plant and equipment these massive boats require, in order to be serviced, refurbished or surveyed while on dry dock. “I would say for the past five or six years Martin’s been pushing development of what we have to offer. In 2021 a 560 tonne travel lift was bought and installed, enabling vessels up to that weight to be lifted and moved at our site to be worked on. The travel lift came from Italy and is a wonderful resource to have.” The site is home to refit sheds as well, where extensive work can be undertaken indoors. One shed extends 120m, able to cope with really large yachts and boats. “We also have a sealed hard stand for boats to be stored short or long term.” The Marine Centre provides a comprehensive range of marine services, tailored to each vessel’s needs. This work is delivered by specialist refit and repair provider Oceania Marine Refit services, which engages approved sub-contractors and suppliers. “For vessels we also offer owners and crew the facilities to work directly on the vessel themselves, with the boatyard completing any work beyond their capability by our team of professionals.” And there’s a broad sweep of services the centre offers including, high pressure water blasting, abrasive blasting, painting and application of protective coatings, hull and structural repairs, stainless steel fabrication, refrigeration, air conditioning, sales, covers and spars, to name a few. Given its location, not too far south of the Bay of Islands, Nathan says Opua is a massive destination hub for yachts coming to New Zealand to be worked on during the spring and summer before heading up to the Pacific Islands. Many of these boats come through to Whangarei to have work completed. “Whangarei has always had quite a large boat building industry and with our two ship-yards it has just got busier and busier up here.” All in all about 60 staff are engaged daily on the site, across project management, fabrication engineers, paint teams, electricians and administration staff, working across private and commercial vessels. Nathan comes from a background of having worked on super-yachts overseas and says he’s enjoying the variety of work he engages in and the general buzz of positivity surrounding the sector. His main focus is to organise projects through their planning stage, to ensure that when a vessel arrives to be worked on, everything is lined up for the project to go smoothly. The company’s website offers readers a comprehensive list of all services and facilities Port Whangarei Marine Service Centre offers. YACHT RALLIES AROUND THE SOUTH PACIFIC & NEW ZEALAND Support, education & connection. Helping you to achieve your sailing dreams. +64 21 438 977 | info@islandcruising.nz | islandcruising.nz Proudly supporting Port Whangarei Marine Service Centre
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