Fire-fighting and fast response on Sydney Harbour

3:38 AM Sun 15 Mar 2009 GMT

NSW Ports and Waterways Minister Joe Tripodi has announced a $1 million boost to port safety with the recent purchase of new equipment to help respond to incidents and emergencies on Sydney Harbour.

'Sydney Ports Corporation is providing safe operations for all port users by investing in new and updated equipment such as the 'Miller's Point' fast response vessel,' Mr Tripodi said.

The Miller's Point was designed in Western Australia by Global Marine and built locally by Axiom Alloys of Mt. Druitt. The boat measures 9.3 metres in length, has a beam of 3.35 metres and a draft of 0.55 metres.

'The primary purpose of the vessel is to respond to fires around the harbour such as small boat fires or bushfires, as well as oil spills,' Mr Tripodi said.
'The boat is fitted with twin 225 hp engines and a 6hp stand alone fire pump and in recent trials achieved a top speed of 33 knots.'

Mr Tripodi said the $360,000 craft was selected because of its trihedral type hull, which provides a stable platform, whether stationary or underway.

'The Miller's Point will cover areas of the harbour as far as Parramatta in the west, the Lane Cove River, Middle Harbour and up to three nautical miles out to sea.

'The vessel has the ability to respond off-shore in all but the worst conditions,' Mr Tripodi said.

The boat's other roles include responding to emergencies such as harbour collisions and search and rescue operations and transporting marine pilots and other Sydney Ports personnel around the harbour.

'The Miller's Point will provide Sydney Ports Corporation with an increased capacity to respond and deal with a variety of marine emergencies,' Mr Tripodi said.

'In addition to maintaining safe navigation for commercial shipping and controlling the conditions under which dangerous goods are handled and stored in port areas, Sydney Ports also has responsibility for the clean-up of any environmental spills.
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'That covers a wide area and includes Sydney Harbour, Botany Bay and 90km of coastline.'

Mr Tripodi said Sydney Ports also recently purchased a Scania 11 tonne crane truck at a cost of $450,000, which will double the carrying and lifting capability of Sydney Ports' emergency response unit.

'Sydney Ports is the only agency in the State with the equipment to handle oil spills of 10 tonnes or more.

'As such, Sydney Ports Corporation is required to rapidly respond to incidents all over the State as well as National emergencies.'

In addition to the Miller's Point and Scania truck, Sydney Ports has purchased new oil spill containment and recovery equipment at a cost of $250,000.

by Brad Schmitt

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