Project Weta (U77) on the move

Project Weta originally began life at the now defunct Chilean shipyard Marco Yachts, and the hull and superstructure was then taken to New Zealand in mid 2011. At the time the yacht had been set to go to Whangarei to undergo its multi-million dollar work schedule, which was to include extensive interior and exterior work, but an eleventh hour decision meant that the yacht was taken to Auckland instead. It had been based at Auckland’s Silo Marina until departing the city on Thursday 7 February. It is now moored at the Ship Repair yard in Whangarei, where a berth had been prepared for it.



If Weta is to undergo completion work in Whangarei, it is an extremely significant contract for the Whangarei marine sector and local economy as the project represents hundreds of thousands of man hours. The area has been looking to develop itself as a superyacht refit and build destination to rival Auckland: its deepwater channel and space for berthing makes for an ideal choice for refit work, partiuclarly for larger yachts.

According to a report in the Whangarei Northern Advocate, Northland Regional Council chairman Craig Brown, who was involved in the first failed attempt to have the superyacht fitted out in Whangarei, said city marine businesses had "knuckled down to do the job properly" and succeeded in bringing the work back to the North.



Project Weta has always been a fiercely confidential project, and little has changed with this latest move and to date no official comment on the state of the project, plans for completion, or on the move of the yacht, has been released. Neither has any confirmation been made of which companies have been successful in their tenders to work on the project should the completion of the yacht be set to go ahead.

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