Australian-owned
international shipbuilder
and repairer Harwood
Marine has confirmed
a contract for two new
passenger vessels.
To be built for Captain
Cook Cruises, part of the
SeaLink Travel Group,
the two 12m aluminium
passenger catamarans will
each be able to carry up to 60passengers.
Construction of the vessels
has commenced, with
delivery anticipated to occur
mid-year.
Harwood Marine has been
established since 1984. Its
Australian facility is situated
on the Clarence River in
northern New South Wales.
It also operates from a
shipyard in the Philippines.Tasmanian freight operator
Bass Island Line (BIL) has
officially taken ownership
ofJohn Duigan, marking
another milestone in
bringing a new, larger vessel
into service for the King
Island community.
Acquired for approximately
$10 million, theJohn Duigan
is a new vessel and has
been tailored to meet the
requirements for the cargo
shipping service between
Victoria, the island and
mainland Tasmania.
Compared with its
predecessorInvestigator II,
the new landing craft has:
Eighty-three per cent more
deck space (approximately
747 square metres).
The ability to carry twenty
12.2m livestock trailers per
sailing, up from eight on
Investigator II.
One hundred and twenty
per cent more deadweight
(2200 tonnes).
Ninety per cent more
container capacity (114
TEU).
And a 20 per cent increase
in speed (from 10kts to
12kts).
Built by Malaysian
company Vitawani
Shipbuilding, the new
vessel has a V-shaped hull
and, at 80m in length and
16m in beam, is also longer,
heavier and wider than its
predecessor. BIL says these
features will substantially
improve the vessel’s
seakeeping characteristics.
“The new vessel will be
an exciting addition to our
fleet,” said BIL business
manager Tom McBroom.
“We are confident that the
John Duiganwill deliver a
better and more reliable
service for the King Island
community.”
Although the ship had not
entered service at the time
of writing, BIL intends for
it to sail southbound from
Victoria once a week to
King Island and then onto a
northern Tasmanian port.
Both the ports and the
schedule will be announced
beforeJohn Duigancomes
into service.
Upon its arrival in
Tasmania from Malaysia
in late February, the vessel
went to Launceston where
it was expected to undergo
minor modifications at
the Launceston shiplift, to
ensure its readiness for the
service.
John Duigan is powered
by two Cummins KTA50-M2
diesels for a total of 2386kW.NPF SUSTAINABILITY
RE-CERTIFIED
The Northern Prawn
Fishery (NPF) has been
recertified by the Marine
Stewardship Council
(MSC) for a further five
years, recognising the
NPF as having global
best-practice ecologically
sustainable fisheries
management.
The MSC certification is
recognised internationally
as the global gold
standard fisheries
certification system,
and requires three core
criteria to meet the MSC
standard: the status of
the fish stock, the impact
of the fishery on the
marine ecosystem, and
themanagementsystem
overseeing the fishery.
The Australian Fisheries
Management Authority’s(AFMA) CEO, Dr James
Findlay, congratulated
the peak industry body,
NPF Industry Pty Ltd, and
NPF fishers for achieving
recertification.
NPF Industry Pty Ltd
CEO, Annie Jarrett, said
that the NPF industry is
very proud and excited
about the fishery being
recertified to the MSC gold
standard.
“We have a long history
of industry stewardship
over the resource
and a partnership
approach to best practice
management,” Jarrett said.
“Being recertified to the
MSC standard for another
fiveyearsistestament
to our industry’s
ongoing commitment to
sustainability.”NEW FREIGHT SHIP
FOR KING ISLAND
Twins for Harwood
238 tradeaboat.com.au
commercial news
News and features dedicated
to the Commercial Sector