New cat for Marine Rescue NSW

A new offshore rescue vessel has arrived at the Marine Rescue Cottage Point unit, boosting the emergency capability of Marine Rescue NSW volunteers on Northern Sydney waters.

MR Cottage Point Unit Commander Paul Millar said members have been out in force to inspect the keenly-anticipated Cottage Point 30 and familiarise themselves with their new rescue vessel.

The 11.5m vessel was built by Sailfish Catamarans in Alstonville, inland from Ballina on the NSW North Coast.

After passing its sea trials on the Richmond River at Ballina in mid-June, it was trucked south to Sydney and was launched at Brooklyn where MR Cottage Point crew members took over and steered it home.

"The Sailfish is the largest twin-hulled vessel in the Marine Rescue fleet," Millar said.

"Its eight-tonne aluminium-hulled sturdiness will make it ideally suited for emergency operations up to 35nm offshore.

"It will also be able to navigate in the tight, shallow bays and waterways of Broken Bay and to beach in otherwise inaccessible areas of the National Park in medical emergencies

"It will become an important part of Marine Rescue’s strategic search and rescue safety net of offshore vessels covering this region,” he said.

Marine Rescue NSW Commissioner Stacey Tannos said Cottage Point 30 was a significant investment in the safety of the many local and visiting boaters on the picturesque northern waterways and also of the Cottage Point volunteers.

"It is the latest vessel delivered in our ongoing rescue fleet modernisation program, which has delivered 61 new and refurbished rescue vessels to our units at a cost of more than $14 million," he said.

Cottage Point 30 is powered by twin 300hp Suzuki engines and can reach speeds of around 28 knots (52km/h).