Barrier Reef News

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has concluded a 24‑day response operation to support a vessel in distress in the Coral Sea, Queensland, preventing risk to the Great Barrier Reef, the marine environment and seafarers.On February 1, AMSA received reports that Liberian‑flagged Swift Hangzhou was experiencing engine failure. AMSA immediately initiated response arrangements to coordinate a safe and effective outcome lasting over three weeks due to the complexity of the incident.

In Australia, Gladstone Magistrates Court has fined Universal Shipping Alliance Ltd, owner of the bulk carrier KMAX Leader, A$63,000 ($40,000) for failing to comply with an Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) written direction and ordered them to pay court costs.KMAX Leader, a Liberia-flagged bulk carrier, entered the Port of Gladstone in October 2023 due to propulsion issues. The vessel undertook extensive work in November 2023 which failed to repair the ship’s propulsion.Concerned with the lack of an effective repair plan…

A steel cutting ceremony has been held for a new RAsalvor 6500 at Rizhao GANGDA Shipbuilding (Shandong Port) in Shandong Province, China.Designed by Robert Allan Ltd. for Smit Lamnalco, Australia, and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, the new emergency towing vessel will provide first response capability in the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait – some of the most precious marine environments in the world.The vessel is also intended to provide aids to navigation services and other marine services in the region.

Speed will be of the essence as salvage crews attempt to stop fuel leaking from the sunken New Zealand naval ship off the coast of Samoa.The HMNZS Manawanui ran aground last weekend on a reef about one nautical mile off the south coast of Upolu, Samoa’s most populated island. The specialist dive and hydrographic vessel was on its third deployment, conducting a reef survey, when it caught fire and sank.The ship has come to rest at a depth of up to 150 metres, which means it may be relatively undisturbed even during storms.

A bulk carrier came within 200 m of grounding in the Great Barrier Reef after a GPS unit onboard the ship began providing false information to the pilot and crew on board, an ATSB final report details.The near grounding occurred early on the morning of May 4, 2022, when the 225m bulk carrier Rosco Poplar was transiting Hydrographers Passage under the conduct of a coastal pilot.Unknown to the pilot and crew, one of the ship’s three GPS units began outputting incorrect positional data during the early stages of the pilotage…

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…

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.

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.

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…

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…

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.

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…

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…

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…

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…

Metal Shark continues to build on its successful business platform, announcing that it  has partnered with the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) to support the preservation of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, home to the second-largest coral barrier reef in the western hemisphere spanning 176 square miles in the Exumas region of the Bahamas.The partnership entails Metal Shark supporting the park’s full-time staff and volunteers by providing boats, technical assistance, and funding to support research…

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…

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.