It was the most action that Yamba has seen for some time last Friday as Yamba Welding and Engineering P/L (YWE) launched its 22.7m, NSW DPI Fisheries patrol vessel, at Yamba Boat Harbour’s trawler wharves.

The onerous process of transporting the large vessel from the YWEs premises in the Yamba Industrial Estate to the Yamba Boat Harbour, began at 3.30am on Friday morning and took around two hours to complete the two-kilometre journey.

Power to the area was shut down and a number of staff and Essential Energy workers were on hand to assist with the transfer of the vessel.

Several spectators gathered to watch as two 120tonne cranes lifted the vessel into the water.

It was then towed to its berth and over the next two to three weeks, it will undertake basin trials and sea trials.

The Fisheries patrol vessel will be based in Coffs Harbour.

YWE have a number of vessels in the pipeline (to build), including for the Defence – Army, Marine Rescue NSW, Transport NSW, NSW National Parks as well as other various projects.

Some of the statistics for the vessel:
✔ Cost of vessel – $3.5m
✔ Length overall is 22.7m
✔ Beam is 5.7m
✔ Draft is 1.36m
✔ Lightship weight – 33 tonne
✔ Main engines 2 x 747kw C18 Caterpillars
✔ Cruising Speed 20knots and maximum speed 28knots
✔ Survey Class NSCV 2B
✔ Hull is aluminium
✔ Sleeps 8 people
✔ A staff of 33 were engaged (in some way) in the building which took around two years.