Mumbai police have turned to New Zealand firm Sealegs for help beefing up its security in the Indian city’s waterways, which were used by terrorists last year to infiltrate and attack the city.

The North Harbour-based Sealegs International has received an order for four amphibious marine craft from the Commissioner of Police in Mumbai to be used for patrolling their waterways.

The security of those waterways was horribly exposed in November, when 10 terrorists used rubber dinghies to enter the city and slaughter 164 innocent people.

City and state officials have now looked to increase security on the water, with the Maharashtra state government already indicating it plans to buy 36 speed boats and several helicopters to patrol the coastal areas.

The aluminium-hulled Sealegs amphibious boats were identified by the Indian police agency as being ideally suited to the varied tasks of this patrol, which include extensive on-water reconnaissance and rapid interdiction, which need to be performed independent of boat launch and retrieval facilities.

The boats are fully configured and include a newly developed 'rugged helm' console for heavy duty handling by operational personnel.

The boats are also equipped with Sealegs' own 'XRT' extended run time feature, allowing for prolonged operational capability in hot and humid conditions when driving on land or when deployed in flood/rescue roles.

Sealegs chief executive David McKee Wright said that the sales are a result of close co-operation with the company's recently appointed re-seller in the Indian market, New Wave Distributors (India), reflecting Sealegs' international market development strategy.

Sealegs has already secured export salers of fire/rescue configured vessels to markets all over the world, including Rome and Malaysia.

But Mr McKee Wright added that the deployment of Sealegs vessels in the new high profile role was a “clear endorsement of the unique capabilities of the proprietary amphibian technology and as a launch pad into the varied requirements of the Indian government”.

The new business comes at a good time for the amphibious boat maker.

Last week Sealegs projected a fall in revenue for the current year, after reporting a $5.8 million loss in 2009. It also repaid a $5000,000 loan to the ANZ Bank last month after breaching a banking covenant.