Nearly two-and-a-half years into her three year build programme, a serious fire has caused extensive damage to the 45 metre Star Fish
Fire broke out in the early hours of Sunday morning 12 August 2012, and fire fighters were called to McMullen & Wing’s premises in Auckland New Zealand to find the 50m steel/aluminium motor yacht Star Fish ablaze in the shipyard’s largest construction hall.
Star Fish, under construction for Aquos Yachts, is the successor to the multi-award winning 45m luxury expedition yacht Big Fish, built for the same owner.
Her structural fabrication had been finished, coating systems well progressed, mechanical systems nearing completion, electrical and electronic systems well advanced and her spectacular interior fit out mid-way through installation.
Star Fish is McMullen & Wing’s largest project to date. As a completed vessel, Star Fish would have a completed value in excess of NZ$50 million.
The yard’s largest construction hall has also sustained fire damage to roof and walls. Determining the full extent of the damage and what that represents to the project will be the focus of the next several weeks. A full investigation will be undertaken to determine the cause of the fire, which at this stage is unknown.
McMullen & Wing’s workshops, office space and other four construction halls were spared by the fire and remain fully operational. The company has a refit project for a commercial aquaculture vessel underway in another construction hall, which was also unaffected.