The State Government is providing $5m over two years to the Department of Police and Emergency Management to fund the acquisition of a large vessel – with similar capabilities to the PV Van Diemen.

$500,000 will be provided this financial year to undertake preliminary investigations; $4.5m will be made available in 2015-16 to fund the build or purchase of a new large vessel to maintain the operational effectiveness of the existing fleet.

This resourcing commitment will ensure Tasmania Police has the ongoing capability to respond to life threatening incidents at sea, perform marine safety tasks, fisheries resources protection and security.

The Van Diemen has a strong history of serving in Tasmania’s challenging offshore conditions, with the capacity to patrol safely out to 200 nautical miles off the coast in a range of circumstances and weather conditions.

Advice and expertise will be sourced from external, independent specialists in order to mitigate all risks associate with the design build and procurement of the vessel.