New Zealand Customs is getting a high-tech upgrade to help stop drugs being smuggled into the country by sea. Three new remotely operated underwater vehicles, basically drones that work underwater, have been purchased to help inspect ships arriving at New Zealand ports.
The announcement was made by Customs Minister Casey Costello at the Port of Auckland last Friday, ahead of the government’s Budget.
Until now, Customs has had to send human dive teams underwater to check the hulls of ships. This takes a lot of time and specialist resources. The new underwater drones can do the same job in about an hour per vessel, freeing up divers to focus on more complex work.
Customs maritime manager Robert Smith said the difference would be significant. Officers can simply drop the device overboard, check the hull, and move on to the next ship. “It’s a numbers game,” he said, referring to how criminal groups repeatedly try to hide drugs on vessels.
The underwater drones are part of a wider $70 million Budget investment in Customs. That funding is aimed at strengthening New Zealand’s border security and improving relationships with partner countries across the Pacific.
The vehicles will be deployed at three ports: Auckland, Tauranga, and Lyttelton, over the coming months. Alongside these drones, Customs has also invested in other tools in recent years, including surface vessels and specialist detection equipment.
