These 15 meter steel tugboats were designed and built by Ship Constructors Ltd. in Whangarei, New Zealand. They are owned by the Societe Miniere du Sud Pacifique and employed in the nickel ore industry in New Caledonia. The vessels are powered by twin diesel engines and have a free running speed of 11 knots and a bollard pull of 11¼ tonnes. The propellers are installed in nozzles with a double rudder arrangement behind each nozzle.

Each vessel is fitted with a Wagner NC2 800-35-BA1 four rudder hand hydraulic steering gear consisting of two N80-190 cylinders, interface #1, B4 helm pump, header tank, jog switch, and rudder angle indicator. An engine driven hydraulic pump provides rudder speed of 12 second for the jog lever control. Due to operating conditions in the Coral Sea particular attention was given to cooling of the steering oil. An oversized skin cooler was fitted to the inside of the hull plating providing a large surface area in contact with the sea water. The cooler was fitted with baffles to interrupt the oil flow and insure maximum cooling effect.