Navy teams back Customs in drug busts

Last month divers and engineers from HMNZS Matataua visited Port of Tauranga twice to conduct night-time underwater searches on the hulls of two ships suspected of carrying drugs.

The interagency effort resulted in two substantial seizures of cocaine hidden in the targeted vessels.

On 4 May, NZ Customs found 157 kilograms of cocaine, worth up to NZ$60.9 million, in three separate containers aboard a vessel from Panama. Then on 26 May, NZ Customs found 130 bricks of cocaine in a shipping container from a vessel that arrived from Italy, via Panama.

While these two discoveries involved suspicious containers, divers are needed to ensure that the ships’ hulls – and various niches along the hulls – are clear of contraband.

With the first ship, that involved 10 divers covering 223 metres of hull, taking 78 minutes underwater.

Sub Lieutenant Benjamin Ward, part of the team on 4 May, says they look for hull attachments, but they also investigate ‘sea chests’ – the large intakes in the hulls where water is brought in to cool the engines and adjust the ship’s ballast.

For this reason the Matataua team includes several engineers, who go aboard with NZ Customs to make sure systems are shut down and the ship is safe for the divers.

“That can take a little while, with language barriers,” says SLT Ward. “The ship had come alongside at 1am, and we go aboard to work with the ship’s crew to make things safe. The divers, working from a zodiac, were in the water by 4am and out by 5.30am. In the meantime Customs are doing a search, including x-rays of suspicious containers.”

Lieutenant John Duncan, who was on the 16 May investigation, says the engineers turn off the intakes for half the ship, either port or starboard, for the divers to do in turn.

“It will be pretty obvious if there’s something on the hulls, but the niche areas need investigation.”

Royal New Zealand Navy Maritime Component Commander, Commodore Shane Arndell, says the Navy was always proud to support Customs in keeping New Zealanders safe from harmful substances.

“Our Navy divers are accomplished in conducting underwater searches, regularly working with Customs on tasks like these.’’

Lieutenant Commander Miles Amery, Matataua’s Operations Officer, says the activities were a successful demonstration of hull searching at night, plus interoperability with Customs, leading to an overall successful team win and narcotics discoveries.