The Vestdavit-produced PLAR-4000 has received load testing at the end of October.
The testing took place in Ruakaka, Auckland, New Zealand.
The PLAR-4000 will grace the New Zealand Navy training centre at its Devonport Naval Base in Auckland, which is due to begin full operations next year.
The Auckland facility is a major commitment to the Navy’s ‘Reclaiming seamanship excellence’ initiative that includes land-based training facilities and a new 45m-long pontoon featuring a range of equipment to educate trainees in the arts of deck handling.
Vestdavit representative agency and partner Antelope Engineering New Zealand manager Alasdair Morrison said: “The PLAR davit concerned has been especially adapted to replicate launching and retrieval of boats on both port and starboard sides of a ship.
“The tests went very well and we were delighted to welcome a Navy delegation, the members of which were keen to see the boarding arrangements with the boat facing each way.”
The relationship between Vestdavit and Australian-headquartered Antelope Engineering extends back to 2000. Since then, its New Zealand operation has overseen the supply of 14 davits for seven New Zealand Navy vessels. Antelope Engineering also takes responsibility for the Navy’s requirement for annual inspections to be carried out.
The satisfactory nature of arrangements is demonstrated by the fact that New Zealand Navy fleet replenishment tanker Aotearoa, under construction at Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea and due for delivery in 2019, will also feature twin PLR-4000 davits from Vestdavit.