Seaworks wins $10m HK deal

Wellington marine contractor Seaworks has won a $10 million cable-laying project in Hong Kong.

Seaworks director Bill Day said the contract with a Hong Kong local authority still had to be signed off, but that was expected in the next fortnight.

Seaworks would take about 80 workers to Hong Kong to work on the three-month project, due to begin this year.

Seaworks' $27 million ship, Searanger, would lay the cable in the South China Sea.

"It keeps the vessel being utilised," Mr Day said yesterday.

"So far it's been utilised 100 per cent since we got it a year ago. It brings in valuable foreign currency."

The fibre optic cable was designed to add extra capacity for internet and data use in Hong Kong.

Seaworks is laying cable to connect Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland for TelstraSaturn.

The Wellington-to-Christchurch link is almost done, with work about to begin along the west coast of the North Island between Wellington and Auckland.

Mr Day said Seaworks would look to Asia for more work, and several opportunities were on the horizon.

No big projects were planned in this country but Mr Day was optimistic that they would turn up.

It was important that the Searanger operate for more than 100 days a year, he said.

Seaworks has 140 workers involved in the TelstraSaturn project.

Mr Day was named Entrepreneur of the Year in 2000.

To clinch the TelstraSaturn deal last year he bought the 18-year-old Searanger, which has new cable-laying gear.

- NZPA