Emergency services have a new weapon to fight pollution hazards in Newcastle waterways.
The state government buying a fleet of new hazardous materials vessels to help limit oil, diesel and other pollutant spills in the state’s waterways, with 19 new vessels being rolled out to Fire and Rescue NSW units across the state.
An initial three vessels have been delivered to locations in Newcastle, Bathurst and Shellharbour.
The new locally made vessels replace a 15-year-old fleet and offer larger and more stable platforms for crews to operate from.
Each vessel can tow and deploy absorbent and containment booms to limit hazardous spills.
They also carry specialised equipment designed to contain and recover contaminants, reducing environmental harm during an incident.