North Queensland News

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…

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.

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…

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.

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…

Transhipment Services Australia (TSA) has ordered a transshipment crane barge from shipbuilding group Damen, who says it will be able to deliver the new the Crane Barge 6324 directly from stock to fulfil the order in a period of only four weeks.TSA has been contracted by Metro Mining to provide transshipment services for its Bauxite Hills Project located along the Skardon River on Cape York Peninsula, north of Weipa in Far North Queensland. With a presence in three sites across Australia…

Melanie Olsen is harnessing 10 years of missile defense and electronic warfare systems expertise to drive rapid technological innovation in marine research and monitoring. Today, on International Women in Engineering Day, the AIMS Team Leader for Technology Development Engineering shares her unique journey.Growing up in a third-generation farming family near the small settlement of El Arish in north Queensland, Melanie Olsen thought engineers were train drivers.When a James Cook University engineering lecturer visited her small rural high school with a quad helicopter…

Australian shipbuilding group Austal announced on Friday it has delivered the 11th Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) to the Australian Department of Defense. The vessel, the RKS Teanoai II, was then gifted by the Australian government to the government of the Republic of Kiribati during a ceremony at Austal Australia’s Henderson shipyard.The vessel is the first Guardian-class Patrol Boat to be delivered to Kiribati under the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project (SEA3036-1)…

Damen Shipyards Group said it has been awarded a contract by Australia-based Engage Marine for the delivery of three new tugs.Engage Marine will operate the three tugs to provide towage services for the Port of Abbot Point. The company has recently been awarded a Non-Exclusive Towage Licence by North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation.According to Damen, its  ASD Tug 3212 will bring to the contract excellent seakeeping behavior, superb maneuverability and outstanding towing characteristics – with 85 tonnes bollard pull.As a vessel from Damen’s standardized portfolio…

A Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier has been banned from Australian ports over "appalling" working and living conditions on board, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said.The 235-meter Movers 3, operated by Qatari-based Aswan Shipping, was detained at anchor off Weipa in far north Queensland on March 4, 2021 due to several mechanical and survey issues, and for the poor conditions on board. Outstanding issues, namely the replacement of poorly maintained ballast tank head vents and the updated ship surveys…

Shipbuilder Austal Limited announced that its Austal Australia division has delivered the eighth Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) to the Australian Department of Defense.The vessel, VOEA Ngahau Siliva, was gifted by the Australian Government to the Kingdom of Tonga during a handover ceremony at Austal Australia’s Henderson shipyard on Friday.Austal Chief Operating Officer and CEO Designate Patrick Gregg noted VOEA Ngahau Siliva was the second Guardian-class Patrol Boat delivered…

Sealink Travel Group has taken delivery of Coolgaree Cat, a newly built passenger vessel developed specifically for the Palm Island and Magnetic Island runs, operated from Townsville in Queensland, Northern Australia. The new ferry was handed over from Australian builder Aluminium Marine earlier this month ahead of its official entry into service this past weekend.The 32-meter catamaran was developed by marine engineering design firm Incat Crowther in close conjunction with the operator Sealink to offer a number of improvements over those currently in service on the run.

Roll-on/roll-off  (RO-RO) vessel Höegh Trapper recently returned to the Port of Mackay as part of its Europe US, Mexico and Oceania service.To commemorate the occasion representatives from North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation, traditional owners and council members from Mackay as well as customers and service providers were invited to tour the vessel.Being the largest Pure Car and Truck Carrier in the world, the guests were welcomed to showcase the vessel’s flexibility and wide range of cargoes it can cater to.Captain Nicky Colaco, Höegh Autoliners Sales Manager in Australia says: "Since August 2018, Höegh Autoliners pioneered to…

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) informed that crew members aboard a ship at a BHP terminal in Queensland are being neglected and underpaid."Crew aboard a ship at a BHP terminal in Queensland claim they are being starved and underpaid, in yet another instance of the coal giant’s veil of secrecy over its operations in Australian waters," said an ITF release.A seafarer aboard an 80,000-tonne bulk carrier, the Villa Deste, contacted ITF pleading for help. The starving crew claims to have no food and no onboard wages, and being fed on a $4 food budget per day.BHP is continuing to block ITF’s requests to inspect the vessel…

The Port of Hay Point in Queensland, Australia has kicked off a pilot program to investigate the feasibility of recycling garbage from international ships.Currently, ships' crews separate recyclable garbage on board, but have limited opportunity to offload these materials at Australian ports for recycling. Any garbage that is separated on board is combined when offloaded in Australian ports and has to undergo treatment by autoclave or deep-burial to meet Australia’s biosecurity requirements.

Training to ‘fight and win at sea’ occurs across the Navy every day of the year, but how does that concept map to the hydrographic fleet and their motto ‘diligence and skill’? – step into the world of the Navy’s survey motor launches. HMAS Mermaid, one of four Paluma class vessels, recently completed an intensive five and a half week training program in North Queensland waters in company with her sister ship HMAS Paluma. The ship and her 15-person crew were put through their paces by Navy’s in-house training and assessment team – Minor War Vessel Sea Training Group.

Recent reporting by the ABC that “Navy's largest ships unable to join Cyclone Debbie emergency response amid engine troubles” is misleading, said TW Barrett, AO, CSC, Vice Admiral, RAN, Chief of Navy. To assert, as the ABC did in its reporting that issues with HMA Ships Canberra and Adelaide has impacted on Defence providing support to anticipated disaster relief support in North Queensland is wrong. Under the Australian Defence Force's regular planning cycle, HMAS Choules assumed duties as the on line (ready) ship to support any Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) requirements in mid-March. HMAS Choules is currently sailing for Brisbane to forward deploy and embark emergency stores to support the recovery efforts in the North Queensland region should it be required.

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.

HMAS Cairns took a northern outlook this year for Remembrance Day activities, sending Lieutenant Commander Ian Jackson, to Cooktown. The event at Anzac Park was hosted by the RSL Sub Branch and was attended by many veterans of the Vietnam War. “As a former Royal Naval hydrographer I was very keen to visit this wonderful Far North Queensland town and see the sites that my professional predecessor, James Cook, would have seen over 200 years ago,” Lieutenant Commander Jackson said. “I regard it as an absolute honour to attend the service and have the opportunity to represent the Royal Australian Navy at such an event. “I had the opportunity to lay a wreath on behalf of the Navy and to speak with many of the veterans from the local area.

WILCO Logistics Pty Ltd has been announced as the successful bid contractor on Breakwater safety works at the Port of Townsville. Minister for Ports Mark Bailey said the overall $1.5 million project will improve navigational safety at the Townsville Port by widening the entrance to the harbour, but does not involve any capital dredging works. “This project is another step towards being able to accommodate larger vessels at the Townsville Port and will also improve the navigational safety of vessels already entering our harbour,” he said. “Best of all, local North Queensland contractors will once again be engaged to complete important infrastructure improvement works, meaning more local jobs for this community.

Townsville contractor CivilPlus Constructions has been awarded the design and construct tender for the primary wharf works component of Port of Townsville’s $55 million Berth 4 Upgrade project. Treasurer Curtis Pitt said the announcement was great news for the Townsville economy. “The upgrade of Berth 4 is one of the $187 million in projects brought forward as part of the Palaszczuk Government’s Accelerated Works Program for North Queensland,” Mr Pitt said. “This work, which is expected to support 100 jobs and take around 18 months, will be undertaken locally by Townsville's CivilPlus and employ local people. “Around 60,400 jobs have been created in Queensland since the election and this Government’s focus will remain squarely on seeing the positive employment story continue…

Port of Townsville Limited (POTL) has welcomed the announcement this morning by Treasurer Curtis Pitt and Minister for Ports and Energy and Water Supply Mark Bailey of the appointment of two new locally-based Directors to its Board. Mr Shane Hanran and Ms Megan Heywood assume their positions on the Board effective today. POTL Chair Renita Garard said that today’s announcement was a real boost to the port’s Board and that the skills and experience of the two appointees would service the business well as it embarks upon long term expansion plans. “Mr Hanran and Ms Heywood bring a vast amount of experience to the table in both the engineering and legal disciplines, which are both very relevant and critical skills to run an efficient port business,” she said.

Northern Australia’s largest general cargo port, the Port of Townsville, will today sign a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with PT Pelabuhan Indonesia II (Persero) or the Indonesia Port Corporation (IPC). The agreement will be signed at the Indonesian-Australian Business Forum in Canberra, witnessed by the Australian Government’s Hon Andrew Robb AO MP, Minister for Trade and Investment, H.E. Ms Susi Pudjiastuti, Minister of Maritime and Fisheries Affairs Republic of Indonesia, and H.E. Mr Nadjib Riphat Kesoema, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia for Australia. IPC is a state-owned corporation responsible for the governance…