Powering Caulerpa Eradication in Northland

GRNZ is supporting important marine biosecurity work in Northland by providing power for a specialist super sucker weed dredge being used to help remove invasive caulerpa from affected waters.

The fast spreading exotic seaweed has been discovered in a new location in the Bay of Islands, raising concerns about the potential impact on boating areas around Paihia and Russell. First detected in New Zealand at Great Barrier Island in 2021, caulerpa poses a serious risk to local marine environments if left uncontrolled.

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To support the eradication effort, GRNZ supplied a 750kVA generator to power the dredging system, with both the generator and ROV mounted on a barge for operation at sea.

The project required close collaboration with the dredge manufacturer to ensure all systems were fully tested, integrated and operational before deployment. This included making sure the generator, ROV and dredging equipment could work reliably together in a demanding marine environment.

This project demonstrates GRNZ’s ability to deliver dependable power solutions for specialist environmental, marine and industrial applications, where reliability, preparation and technical coordination are critical.