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Queensland News

22 Feb 2024

Austal Awarded Contract for Two More Patrol Boat Builds

Austal Australia has been awarded a contract extension for two additional Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats for the Royal Australian Navy (Image: Austal Australia)

Shipbuilding group Austal Limited announces that Austal Australia has been awarded a contract extension for the construction of two additional Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats for the Royal Australian Navy.The A$157 million contract follows the procurement announcement made by the Commonwealth of Australia (CoA) on November 23, 2023 and brings the total number of Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats being delivered to the Navy, under the SEA1445-1 Project, to ten.Austal Limited Chief…

22 Feb 2024

Liberian Bulk Carrier Banned from Australian Ports

Source: AMSA

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has banned the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier KMAX Leader from entering Australian ports for 12 months, effective February 15, 2024.The ban was instigated as a result of serious safety violations and breaches of Australian legislation committed by the ship’s master and owner while in Gladstone Harbour.KMAX Leader first experienced mechanical issues on October 26, 2023, reporting unidentified engine room vibrations.On October 28, the ship’s agent advised work had commenced on the mechanical issues and would take eight to 10 days to complete.

23 Jan 2024

AR Simulator Added to Pilot Training at Smartship Australia

Image courtesy FORCE Technology

Force Technology won a deal to deliver its SimFlex4 AR solution as part of an extensive upgrade for the Queensland-based maritime simulation and training facility, Smartship Australia, which focuses on professional pilotage training and development. Smartship's facility in Brisbane includes five marine simulators, including two full mission bridges, one Tug bridge, and two-part task simulators.FORCE Technology’s SimFlex simulator was originally selected when Smartship Australia was first established in 2011.

22 Nov 2023

Austal Delivers Samoa-bound Patrol Boat

Nafanua III is the 18th Guardian-class Patrol Boat to be delivered by Austal to the Australian Department of Defense under the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project SEA3036-1. (Photo: Austal)

Shipbuilding group Austal announced its Austal Australia division has delivered the 18th Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) to the Australian Department of Defense. The vessel, Nafanua III, was accepted by representatives from the Department of Defense and then gifted by the Australian Government, to the Samoa Police Service at a handover ceremony held at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia on Wednesday.Austal Limited Chief Executive Officer Paddy Gregg said Nafanua III is the third Guardian-class Patrol Boat delivered by Austal in 2023…

06 Nov 2023

MAN Energy Solutions and Doen WaterJets Partner for Australian Military Tender

MAN 175D engine (source MAN)

MAN Energy Solutions and Doen WaterJets (DOEN) have agreed to join forces to offer a fully integrated propulsion system solution to the Australian Army’s LAND 8710 Littoral Manoeuvre Vessel Phase 1A (LMV-M) program.The program aims to acquire a medium landing craft suitable for a range of missions in Australia’s northern waters and beyond.The cooperation spans the full product lifecycle including propulsion system design, integrated logistics support and commissioning, through…

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…

19 Sep 2023

ATSB: Fatal Pilot Ladder Accident Has Enduring Lessons

Source: ATSB

Managers of the two vessels involved in a fatal crew transfer accident off Brisbane, Australia, had not ensured personnel had a common and complete understanding of how the transfer would be conducted, an Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation has concluded.On 9 August 2021, crew were being transferred to and from the bulk carrier Formosabulk Clement via the launch boat PT Transporter in the Port of Brisbane anchorage, about five nautical miles off the coast.The operation involved multiple visits from PT Transporter to transfer crew on and off the anchored bulk carrier.

24 Aug 2023

AMSA Bans Liberian-Flagged Vessel Over Wage Theft

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has banned the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier MSXT Emily from Australian waters for one year, after finding apparent serious issues of wage theft and seafarer mistreatment onboard.Following a tip-off from the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), AMSA inspected the ship at the Port of Hay Point, in Queensland, and found evidence of several violations of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006.The vessel had been chartered by K-Line to load a cargo of coal for discharge in Japan.Seafarers onboard the vessel had not been paid in accordance with their Seafarer Employment Agreements: four contained apparently-forged signatures from employees…

14 Jul 2023

New Ferry Enters Service for SeaLink in Queensland

(Photo: Incat Crowther)

A new 24-meter passenger ferry designed by Incat Crowther and built by Norman R. Wright & Sons has begun servicing a busy passenger route for commuter and tourism ferry operator SeaLink South-East Queensland. The new Incat Crowther 24, named Talwurrapin, began operating on the Redland Bay to Russell Island route in the Moreton Bay region in late January 2023, providing a vital connection between the mainland and Russell Island.Incat Crowther said it worked with SeaLink South-East…

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.

15 May 2023

Australia Creates Permit-Free, Autonomous Marine Tech Test Area

Australian Institute of Marine Science testing its ReefScan reef monitoring technology on an autonomous surface vessel in the ReefWorks test ranges. Photo by Marie Roman, courtesy of AIMS.

For the first time in Australia, autonomous marine technology developers have a location to safely test autonomous vessels without needing to apply for a permit. The Australian Institute of Marine Science’s ReefWorks inshore test range, near Townsville in north Queensland, was granted regulatory sandbox approval for uncrewed vessels from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).It’s the first approval issued under a proposed Australian Maritime Regulatory Sandbox advocated by Trusted Autonomous Systems (TAS), AIMS and AMC Search.

19 Apr 2023

Maintenance Dredging at the Port of Weipa to Begin in May

(Photo: North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation)

North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation (NQBP) will soon begin maintenance dredging at the Port of Weipa. NQBP Acting Chief Executive Officer Belinda Kenny said the dredge vessel TSHD Brisbane is due to begin work from early May 2023.“Maintenance dredging works are an integral part of port operations,” Kenny said. “In the same way we maintain roads and rail lines for freight transport, we need to look after our port infrastructure to keep trade flowing. Regular maintenance dredging ensures efficient…

13 Feb 2023

Austal Delivers Fourth Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boat to Australian Navy

(Photo: Austal)

Austal Limited is pleased to announce Austal Australia has delivered the fourth of eight Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats (ECCPB’s) to the Royal Australian Navy. The vessel, ADV Cape Capricorn, was officially accepted by the Commonwealth of Australia.Austal CEO Paddy Gregg said the delivery of the fourth ECCPB highlighted Austal’s consistency in production and efficiencies at the Henderson shipyard.“Austal has now delivered four Evolved Capes to the Royal Australian Navy since the contract was signed in May 2020 and we are launching a new vessel every three months…

09 Feb 2023

Australian Coal Arrives in China for First Time in More Than Two Years

At least two vessels carrying Australian coal have arrived in China for the first time since an unofficial ban on imports was introduced more than two years ago, and several more are on the way, shiptracking data showed. The cargoes are being closely monitored by coal traders as they are keen to see how smooth Chinese customs procedures will be.China last month, in a partial easing of the import ban, granted permission to just four central-government owned firms to bring in Australian coal. Tiger East, a dry bulk vessel loading some 73,300 tonnes of Australian thermal coal from Queensland, is discharging at the southern Chinese city of Taishan…

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.

14 Nov 2022

Svitzer Announces Lockout in Australia

(Photo: Svitzer)

Svitzer Australia, a subsidiary of A.P. Møller – Maersk, announced on Monday that it will lock out all harbor towage employees covered under its 2016 National Towage Enterprise Agreement and their union bargaining representatives starting Friday, November 18, amid ongoing pay disputes.The lockout, which is slated to run indefinitely, will impact shipping operations at Australian ports in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. No shipping…

29 Sep 2022

Australia Rules Out Curbs on LNG Exports after Producer Deal

Credit:  4680.photo/AdobeStock

Australia will not put curbs on gas exports after reaching a deal with its three east coast producers of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to avert a forecast supply crunch, Resources Minister Madeleine King said on Thursday.The government threatened the export curbs in August, worrying Asian buyers and LNG investors, following a warning by the competition watchdog that the east coast market faced a shortfall of 57 petajoules of gas in 2023.The pact unveiled on Thursday provides for Queensland Curtis LNG…

26 Jul 2022

Australia Bans Tanker Over Crew Mistreatment

Australia's maritime safety agency has banned a Liberian-flagged oil tanker for six months for the underpayment of seafarers and onboard welfare issues.The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said it inspected the AG Neptune in the Port of Gladstone, in central Queensland, on June 17 ,2022 after receiving a complaint about multiple breaches of the Maritime Labor Convention (MLC).During the inspection, AMSA found evidence the employment agreement with 21 seafarers on board the ship had not been met and the crew members were collectively owed approximately AUD $123,000. Inspectors also found evidence the food and drinking water were not of appropriate quality, quantity and nutritional value for seafarers.

08 Jul 2022

Bulk Carrier Aids Rescue of Injured Solo Sailor

(Photo: AMSA)

A bulk carrier assisted in the rescue of an injured mariner sailing solo off the coast of Australia.After receiving a distress beacon from a 10-meter yacht with a 70-year-old solo crew member located 167 kilometers east of Double Island Point, Qld., the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) diverted the Malta-flagged merchant vessel Skiathos to the yacht's location.The 229-meter-long Skiathos found the yacht and brought the vessel alongside.AMSA tasked the Melbourne-based Challenger jet and a Brisbane-based CHC helicopter to attend the scene…

03 May 2022

Weipa Maintenance Dredging Underway

(File photo: NQBP)

Maintenance dredging operations have commenced at the Port of Weipa in Australia, North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation (NQBP) announced.The trailing suction hopper dredge (TSHD) Brisbane began work in late April for a dredging program that is expected to last about eight weeks.“Maintenance dredging works are an integral part of port operations,”  said NQBP CEO Nicolas Fertin. “In the same way we maintain roads and rail lines for freight transport, we need to look after our port infrastructure to keep trade flowing.

20 Apr 2022

Austal to Build Two More Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats for Australian Navy

The first Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boat, ADV Cape Otway (314) was delivered to the Australian Department of Defence and Royal Australian Navy on 23 March 2022. (Photo: Austal Australia)

The Australian Department of Defense will order an additional two Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats (ECCPB’s) for the Royal Australian Navy from shipbuilder Austal for $124 million. The two new vessels are in addition to the six Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats that are currently being delivered by Austal Australia for the Royal Australian Navy.The announcement was made during a visit by Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, to Austal's Henderson Western Australia shipyard.

14 Apr 2022

Australia, Indonesia Unlikely to Meet Europe's Coal Demand If Russian Imports Banned

Credit: Alex Traveler/AdobeStock

Indonesia and Australia, among the world's top coal exporters, have hit their production limits and are unlikely to meet Europe's demand for additional supplies if the European Union bans Russian coal imports, mining executives said on Wednesday.The European Commission proposed on Tuesday new sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, including a ban on buying Russian coal and on Russian ships entering EU ports, and said it was working on banning oil imports too.The EU depends on Russia for around 45% of its coal imports…

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…