SHIPPING NEWS PREPARED FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE HOBART BRANCH OF THE WORLD SHIP SOCIETY Prepared by: Glenn & Kellie Towler Email: [email protected] How to Contact us: Address: 8 Foley Road Kingston, Tas, 7050 Australia Phone: +61 3 6229 2697 Edition 106 01 February 2020 to 31 March 2021 This newsletter is produced for the enjoyment of the members of the Hobart Branch of the World Ship Society and members of other WSS branches world wide. The editors can not take responsibility for the accuracy of articles contributed or obtained from media sources. While every effort is taken to ensure its accuracy if you notice any inaccuracies please forward them on to the editors by email to [email protected] In the words of this Tug’s loyal followers “ALL HAIL THE MIGHT BURRA” This edition’s cover picture of the Svitizer tug Burra, to some of the South Australian and West Australian ship spotters this tug is admired, respected, treated and even considered as Royalty or a God!. Burra arrived in Launceston in Northern Tasmania on the 13/03/21 after a rather easterly crossing of Bass Strait from Geelong in Victoria on the Australian mainland. Burra arrived to undergo some engine works and dry docking, from what I can tell this is her first visit to Tasmania. Seen here making her way past the Batman Bridge south of Bell Bay in Northern Tasmania. Photo taken by: Glenn Towler Editors Notes First of all allow us to pass on our Belated Easter and Christmas wishes for 2020. It has been 14 months since the last edition of Shipping News, as we all know curtesy of COVID-19 the world come to a screaming halt and although shipping being considered as essential it was not immune to getting caught up in even more bureaucratic drama than it already was on a day to day basis and then throw political issues amongst the mix and include ships arriving from COVID hot spot countries with crew member either infected or showing symptoms just complicate matters. As well as there was the issues of Cruise ships like Diamond, Grand & Ruby Princess & Artania just to name a few with large number of cases onboard and the passengers & crew of these ships getting caught up in all levels of Governmental bureaucracy with the media blaming the ships, passengers, crew, operators, port authorities and so on!. Then we have had cargo ships that have not been able to do crew rotations with the skies being closed and minimal of flights, Countries that were normally crew change over ports being closed. Here in Hobart wasn’t immune to the difficulties of ship crewing issues: • Incoming polar specialised crew for the Australian Antarctic Division chartered ship MPV Everest for the 2020/2021 summer had to quarantine in Western Australia before flying to Hobart to join the ship • Incoming crew for the latest incat vessel headed for the Caribbean the 100m Bocco Reef arrived in Brisbane to undertake their 2 weeks mandatory Quarantine only for there to be an out break of Covid 19 in the Hotel extending their quarantine. • The political tensions between Australia and China have seen ships loaded with Australian Coal destined for China refused entry to Australian ports with Crews stuck on them of months on end with no where to go, some ships have managed to travel to Japan or South Korea to reprovision and undertake crew changes. But for the Hobart Branch first the Tasmanian Government locked the state down, closed the skies to all but essential travellers with there being 1 flight a day in and out of Hobart, but on a good note since the skies opened back up we have seen more flights coming to Hobart from Perth, Adelaide and Canberra with Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane flights around the same level and now the announcement of direct flights between Hobart and New Zealand resuming and the Spirits of Tasmania turning into mostly freight carriers and like the airlines essential travellers only during the lockdown. But like most countries during the lockdown we saw museums and public meeting places closed, during this time our Meeting venue the Maritime Museum decided to take this opportunity undertake refurbishments. But here we are, out of lay up and back on deck, Kellie and I had considered doing an edition of shipping news if the meetings hadn’t resumed soon but no here we are. So enough rambling on Kellie would like to say: Make you self a cuppa, grab a hot cross bun or two, make your self comfortable in your favourite reading location/positon and enjoy this what should have been 112th edition of supping news but is the 106th and we look forward to writing for you again in June. Happy Reading Glenn & Kellie Tasmania News Hobart April 2000 ➢ Cruise ship season for 2019/2020 ceases with the international cruise ships being ban from Tasmanian waters sighting fears that Tasmania’s health system would not be able to cope if an outbreak on the scale of the Ruby Princess occurred. Soon after the cruise ships were ban from Australia full stop with them taking up residence off the New South Wales and Queensland Coast with them making a weekly visit into Sydney to provision before being ordered out of Australia. Most of the seasonal Australian and permanently based in Australia have anchored in waters near Singapore with some proceeding to European waters and the Caribbean waters to anchor. ➢ Cosco Shipping Heavy Lift ship Da An load logs ➢ Deliveries of Petroleum products to Selfs point a week apart by the Cedar Express and British Navigatoer ➢ Hokkaido Bulk unloads Phosphate at Macquarie Wharf no 4 May 2020 ➢ La Briantais unload Calcite at Macquarie Wharf no 4. ➢ T Prime and Union Mark load logs. ➢ Seastar Enduarance arrives at Risdon to discharge Phosphate rock for Kempe in Togo. June 2020 ➢ Saw 4 New Zealand flagged Trawlers operating out of Tasmania fishing off Tasmania’s west coast, Hobart saw visits by 2 of these vessels the Amaltal Columbia and the Amaltal Explorer which made 2 visits for stores and bunkers. ➢ In addition to the New Zealand Trawlers Australian Longline’s Hobart Antarctic Discovery made visit. ➢ Dorval Tanker Golden Resolution make visits shipping Sulphuric Acid between Risdon and Mainland Australia mostly to the New South Wales Port Newcastle that is normally associated with exporting Coal. ➢ The 3 third tanker by Geogas to carry the name Bouganville visited Hobart to discharge LPG for the first time. July 2020 ➢ Justice Express returns to Hobart to deliver petroleum products along with Elenandra Sea, petroleum deliveries have started coming from most Geelong most 2 deliveries a month with deliveries from Kwinanna in Western Australia becoming less frequent. Tasmania News Hobart contd August 2020 ➢ Ivs Thanda and Forrest Trader load logs in Hobart. ➢ Golden Sky and Golden Leader doing Acid runs from Risdon to Mainland Austrlaia. September 2020 ➢ Golden Ace along with Stolt Renge and Tsubaki undertake acid voyager from Risdon ➢ Uni Auc One make 2 visits to Risdon delivering Zinc Concentrates. ➢ The once rarely seen in Tasmanian Water Maersk Line seem to be visiting a bit more frequent with the Maersk Mediterranean visiting to unload petroleum products. October 2020 ➢ Nord Inspiration returns to deliver petroleum products. ➢ Australian Longline’s new boat the Hobart flagged Antarctic Aurora arrives in her home port for the first time on her delivery voyage from ship yard. She is reported to be the most advanced vessel of her kind dedicated to fishing in the Southern Ocean. ➢ Heavy Lift ship Symphony Sun arrives from Callo in South America to unload Zinc Concentrates at Risdon. ➢ Houtmangracht ex Beluga Fantasy returns to Risdon before sailing for China and Indonesia via Townsville. Houtmangracht loaded 3 new Type II Emerald class ferry similar to what Incat built for Sydney Ferries in China and new river class ferries in Indonesia. All these ferries have arrived with major issues including containing asbestos. November 2020 ➢ We bid farewell to the RSV Aurora Australis, who sailed for Dubai after 31 years of serving the Australian Antarctic Program. Sadly on the day she departed she was no longer displaying the port of registry of Hobart under her name on the stern which had been painted out and replaced with a poorly hand painted wooden board saying Majuro Atoll above her name hanging off the safety rail on her heli deck. Aurora Australis is said to be going to have a major refit and make over in Dubai. She arrived in Dubai in early January 2021 via a 2 hour stop in Fremantle. ➢ What is belived to have been the biggest bulk carrier to berth at Macquarrie wharf the Lycavitos loaded the last shipment of logs in Hobart as Tasmania’s log exports got caught up in the trade nightmares that have faced Australian Mainland states log exports to China, it has been reported several shipments according to the Chinese were contaminated with pests but then there was some reports there was an oversupply. It was interesting to note though log shipments from New Zealand continued to China. ➢ Boccoo Reef is floated out from the Incat shipyard Wilsons construction hall, sea trails, Crew famililarisation and delivery were delayed due to a Covid out break at the Hotel in Brisbane in Queensland on Mainland Australia where the crew were undertaking the mandatory quarantine. Tasmania News Hobart contd December 2020 ➢ Rare visit to Hobart by a Torm Tankers vessel, the Torm Kansas delivered petroleum products from Geelong to Hobart, Devonport and Burnie. Torm Tankers are a common sight in Bell Bay in Northern Tasmania but not a common site in Hobart.