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Great Barrier News

03 Nov 2023

New High-speed Landing Craft Delivered in Australia

(Photo: Incat Crowther)

A new high-speed low-draft landing craft Island Guardian has been delivered to the Great Barrier Reef Joint Field Management Program in Australia.The new 21-meter vessel has been custom-designed by Incat Crowther and built by Norman Wright & Sons to enhance island protected area management, research, incident response and facilitate more efficient management of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.The Great Barrier Reef Joint Field Management Program is delivered jointly by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service…

23 Jun 2023

Voyage Planning Tool Errors Contributed to Grounding

Source: ATSB

The use of a draft voyage planning tool which included waypoint data errors plus an ongoing technical fault with the vessel monitoring and surveillance system for the Great Barrier Reef contributed to a cargo ship’s grounding on a shoal, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has concluded.The 81-meter general cargo ship Trinity Bay grounded on Harrington Shoal, a charted feature with a depth of 0.9 metres north-west of Harrington Reef, on the morning of January 19, 2021 while conducting a regular weekly passage from Thursday Island to Cairns.

29 Nov 2022

Police Step Up Security Around Adani Port in India's Kerala after Clashes

©Dinesh/AdobeStock

Police in southern India on Tuesday ramped up security around the $900 million transhipment port being built by billionaire Gautam Adani's conglomerate after scores of people were injured in clashes with protesters from a Christian fishing community.Construction at the mega port project in Vizhinjam on the southern tip of India has been halted for more than three months by the protesters, who have blocked the site's entrance with a makeshift shelter. They blame the port's development for coastal erosion that has hit their livelihoods, an accusation the Adani Group denies.

29 Dec 2021

India's Adani Nears First Coal Load from Controversial Australian Mine

Copyright Davide Bellucci/AdobeStock

India's Adani Group is preparing to ship the first coal cargo from Australia's most controversial mine, after battling a seven-year campaign by climate activists and defying a global push away from fossil fuels.The Carmichael mine in outback Queensland state is likely to be the last new thermal coal mine to be built in Australia, the world's biggest coal exporter, but will be a vital source of supply for importers such as power plants in India."The first shipment of high-quality…

17 Sep 2021

New Patrol Boat for Great Barrier Reef Area Hits The Water

Image Credit: Norman R Wright and Sons

Australian vessel designer Incat Crowther on Friday announced the launch of Tamoya, an Incat Crowther 17 to join Reef Ranger and Reef Resilience in Australia's Great Barrier Reef Joint Field Management Program fleet."Tamoya packs a lot of punch for her size, which is measured specifically to fit the home port berth. The main deck is dominated by an aft working deck with a quick launch and recovery system for a 3.4m RHIB, dive racks, deck winches, BBQ area, a sink and multiple deck lashing points…

10 May 2021

Next-gen Patrol Boat Designed to Help Protect the Great Barrier Reef

Australian shipbuilder Norman R. Wright & Sons recently launched Reef Resilience, an Incat Crowther 24 patrol boat that will join Reef Ranger in protecting the Great Barrier Reef.Reef Resilience will service the southern region of the Reef from her home port in Gladstone, while Reef Ranger will continue to service the northern region from Cairns, meaning the entire reef will now benefit from the capability and operability this class of vessel offers. The vessel’s remit includes compliance monitoring, marine park and island national park management, diving and research operations.

05 Mar 2021

Bulk Carrier Caught Dumping Garbage in Great Barrier Reef

A shipping company and chief officer have been convicted in Australia for dumping garbage near the Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef system.Following a prosecution by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), on February 26, 2021, the chief officer and operator of Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Iron Gate were fined and convicted in the Brisbane Magistrates Court for dumping the equivalent of a 120-liter household garbage bin full of food waste into the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland.In 2018, Iron Gate was on a voyage between Brisbane and Gladstone when the chief officer approved the discharge of garbage overboard about 13 nautical miles southeast of Lady Elliot Island…

30 Mar 2020

Incat Crowther to Design Patrol Vessel for Queensland

Photo: Incat Crowther

Incat Crowther reports it has been chosen to design an aluminum patrol vessel for Queensland’s Department of Environment and Science. The design was put to construction tender and Norman R Wright and Sons has been selected to build the vessel.The Incat Crowther 17 design was selected for the project based on specific criteria to deliver a high service delivery capacity for the operation, the designer said. This requires excellent seakeeping, reliable cruise speed, low fuel consumption…

24 Mar 2020

Passenger Vessel Operator Fined for Reckless Operation

The company which owned Spirit of 1770, a passenger vessel that caught fire and burnt to the waterline with 42 paying customers and four crew members on board while returning from a voyage to Lady Musgrave Island on May 11, 2016, has been fined $25,000 for reckless operation of a commercial vessel.The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) investigated the incident and recommended a charge against the company, Panforta Pty Ltd – trading as 1770 Great Barrier Reef Cruises Pty Ltd. The charge was pursued by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP).On March 16, 2020, the company plead guilty in the Brisbane Magistrates court to one count of reckless operation of a commercial vessel…

17 Apr 2019

AMCF Calls for Greater Cooperation

The third edition of the Asian Marine Casualty Forum (AMCF) concluded with delegates calling for greater cooperation and continuing dialogue to address the major challenges now facing the marine casualty and salvage industry.Following the unprecedented success of the Forum last week, the organisers LOC, hope the AMCF will return for a fourth edition of the conference during Singapore Maritime Week in April 2021.Highlights of the final day on Friday 12th of AMCF 2019 included a session on bribery and corruption, wrecks and the environment and container ship casualties, with delegates hearing from world leading industry specialists and…

30 Oct 2018

UV-C Keeping Ship Hulls Free from Biofouling

Figure 1: UV-C prototype kept clean from biofouling in the harbor of Melbourne (Australia). On the left a benchmark silicone panel is located without UV-C, which is completely bio-fouled (courtesy to Defence Science and Technology group for testing).

The presence of biofouling on the hull of a ship increases the drag from the water during sailing and thereby the fuel consumption, which results in increased CO2 emissions as well as increased costs for the ship owner. Paints applied to the underwater areas on the hull of ships therefore often contain biocides to hinder biofouling growth or possess non-stick properties, allowing a release of the fouling when the vessels pick up speed.AkzoNobel is working with Royal Philips to…

06 Dec 2017

RAscal 1600 Mooring Launch EIMEO

The Robert Allan designed RAscal 1600 mooring launch EIMEO has been completed by Cheoy Lee Shipyards in Hong Kong and is on its way to the east coast of Australia on a heavy lift ship. The launch was built for Half-Tide Marine of Mackay in Queensland, Australia who will employ it at the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal, south of Mackay. The terminal, one of the largest coal terminals the world, has a ship loading facility some three kilometres off the east coast suitable for up to four 200,000 dwt bulk carriers. Although protected by the Great Barrier Reef, the fetch to the reef is enough that a considerable chop can develop which is not a problem for the bulk carriers but presents an operating challenge for a small line boat trying to pick up and deliver heavy ship’s hawsers.

06 Nov 2017

Designer-built Adventure Cruise

Explore: two Quest zodiacs head out (Photo: Lindblad Expeditions/Ian Strachan)

The 2016 Polar Code has its first luxury-adventure cruise adherents for the long, new ice-free seasons in the high latitudes. Likewise, many designs winning over owners and explorers target exotic Asia-Pacific destinations. Competition is fierce among “designer-shipyards” seeking to build their designs, but their creations could face fewer hurdles to construction than the designs of independents without a yard. Concepts bound for the slipway have something else in common: new davits for large numbers of water craft.

11 Oct 2017

Saab's Maritime Solution Protecting Great Barrier Reef

As one of the wonders of the natural world, many consider the Great Barrier Reef one of the Earth’s most beautiful places. The marine environment in the area is extremely sensitive and with around 4000 commercial vessels passing every year, it is important for the vessel services operators working onshore to keep track of the traffic at all times. That’s where Saab comes in. Comprising nearly 3000 individual reefs and almost 100 islands, the Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system. Located off the coast of Queensland, Australia it can be seen from space and is the world’s biggest single structure made by living organisms. It also requires protection. To help, Saab will contribute through a Vessel Traffic Management Information System, or VTMIS for short.

11 Sep 2017

Incat Designs Founder Philip Hercus Passed Away

Philip Hercus (Photo: Incat Crowther)

Incat Designs founder Philip Hercus, one of the forefathers of Incat Crowther and Australia’s marine design industry, has passed away. Hercus’ contribution to the industry was immense. In the 1980s, he pioneered the introduction of aluminum catamaran passenger vessels in tourist areas such as the Great Barrier Reef before developing the Wave Piercing Catamaran. In 1990, one of these vessels won the Hales Trophy for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean for a commercial vessel. Phil was awarded the Order of Australia in 1995 for his services to the industry.

20 Jun 2017

KOTUG Adds Fifth Infield Support Vessel

Coral Knight (Photo: KOTUG)

Towage operator KOTUG said it has acquired a fifth infield support vessels (ISVs) in Australia and East Timor, furthering its investment in offshore support. The new vessel, Coral Knight, will be bare boat chartered exclusively to Australian Maritime Systems Limited (AMS) to provide emergency towage services and maintain aids to the navigation network at the Great Barrier Reef for AMSA (Australian Maritime Safety Authority). KOTUG said it acquired the Coral Knight with a view to further expand its offshore support services in the Australian region.

03 Mar 2017

Coral Reefs: A Unique Natural Resource

© vlad61_61 / Adobe Stock

Stony corals are marine invertebrates with somewhat unique life cycles. For the most part, they reproduce sexually, broadcasting gametes into the water. Often, an entire coral colony or reef will spawn on the same night. Coral may also reproduce asexually by producing genetically identical polyps. Fertilized gametes drift in the current until, hopefully, they alight on a hard surface like a rock suitable for attachment. The gamete then develops into a polyp, producing a basal plate that affixes itself to the hard surface.

08 Feb 2017

Australia Probes Coal Spill near Great Barrier Reef

Coal has washed up in waters dangerously close to Australia's Great Barrier Reef, environmental authorities said on Wednesday, following an investigation into complaints of black dust on nearby beaches. Ship-loading facilities at the port of Hay Point, which ships tens of millions of tonnes of coal annually to export markets worldwide, are at the centre of the investigation by authorities in the northeastern state of Queensland. But it was too early to say if the Hay Point port was the source of the coal and fine dust that washed up on the nearby beaches of East Point and Louisa Creek, the state's environment minister, Steven Miles, told reporters. "The impact on marine life and the reef is likely to be quite localised," Miles added.

21 Dec 2016

$124 mi Reef Authority Funding Boost for Townsville

Australia’s lead management agency for the Great Barrier Reef will receive a $124 million funding boost over the next 10 years from the Turnbull Government. The funding commitment for the Townsville-based Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority is great news for the North Queensland region and Townsville, and follows the signing of Australia’s first City Deal for Townsville earlier this month. Frydenberg said the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, which has been managing this acclaimed World Heritage Area for more than 40 years, will receive an additional $34.1 million over four years from 2016-17, and $15 million each year from 2020-21.

28 Nov 2016

$45 mln to bolster Reef Protection

The Australian and Queensland Governments are investing $45 million in an Australian first to improve water quality and reduce sediment run-off across the Great Barrier Reef. The $45 million Great Barrier Reef Gully and Streambank Joint Program will deliver a cohesive program of restoration work in key catchments including Burdekin, Fitzroy and Cape York. The joint program between government, the private sector, research institutions and conservations groups includes scientific investigation to understand the nature of gullies and the restorative activities required to fix them. Other work will include physical remediation, mulching, revegetation, fencing, native grass seed production and grazing land management improvements.

19 Sep 2016

Australia settles six years after Barrier Reef accident

Australia on Monday reached a A$39.3 million ($29.66 million) out-of-court settlement with the owners of a Chinese coal carrier that ran aground in 2010 on the Great Barrier Reef. The settlement, dismissed by an environmental group as not enough, is less than a third of what the Australian government was seeking from the ship's owner - Shenzhen Energy Transport Co - for remediation costs after the 225-metre long Shen Neng 1 ran aground on the reef's Douglas Shoal. The fully-laden carrier was en route to China when it sailed outside the shipping lane and ran aground on April 3, 2010. Anti-fouling paint that peeled off the ship contained a highly toxic component, tributyltin, that is now banned from use.

19 Aug 2016

Hong Kong Shipowner Issues Funds to Detained Vessel

The owners of Five Stars Fujian have at last paid for much-needed supplies to the Hong Kong vessel, which has been detained by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority since August 12, reports local media. The Five Stars Fujian has been detained off the port of Gladstone in  by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority after inspectors found the company had breached the Maritime Labour Convention over the insufficient food and unpaid wages for the Chinese crew. Local Australian media and Great Britain's Guardian newspaper reported earlier this week that the capsesize class coal carrier, has been sitting in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef for the past month with supplies diminishing and salaries going unpaid.

18 Aug 2016

Hong Kong Shipping Group Wants Aid to Arrested Ship's Crew

The Hong Kong Shipowners Association (HKSOA) on Thursday called on the city's authorities to provide assistance to the crew of a Hong Kong-flagged coal ship off the east coast of Australia that is running out of food and fuel. Local Australian media and Great Britain's Guardian newspaper reported this week that the Five Stars Fujian, a 180,000 deadweight tonne capsesize class coal carrier, has been sitting in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef for the past month with supplies diminishing and salaries going unpaid. The HKSOA said in a statement that the ship was under detention by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), off the port of Gladstone, for breaches of the Maritime Labour Convention relating to lack of provisions and unpaid wages.

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