EASTERN Line Shipping has just completed its five-year survey maintenance and a makeover.
Managing director and ship owner, Warren Dick is pleased that what should have been straight forward and was not and is now completed and he is able to return to a full shipping service for the island.
“We had the King Islander, booked in, some months ago for its five-year, survey requirement,” he said.
“It was, first booked in Adelaide but two weeks before it was to be docked there, they cancelled our docking, which, as you can imagine, put things into quite a disarray.
“We had to find a place that was able to take the King Islander’s size and weight.”
“We did finally, find a company and place in Yamba.
“Failing that, it was looking like having to take the ship through to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea,” Mr. Dick told King Island Radio.
Mr. Dick also said now was the perfect time to use overburden from the Dolphin tungsten mine to make Grassy harbour a true “all-weather” port. He could not understand how the Government could call the port “all-weather”.
“We have a facility in Tasmania, but that was totally booked out till the end of 2024, which is why we booked Adelaide and then faced issues when they cancelled.”
“The five-year inspection involved pulling the ship up out of the water and pulling most of the shafts, props and rudders off.”
“They are inspected by a competent surveyor. “Everything under the water line must be inspected and all the ballast tanks.”
“We also did quite an extensive fit out of the vessel, including lots of valves to keep it up to a high standard.”
“Anti-fouling was applied, and we sandblasted below and above the water line; redesigned and, strengthened a door; anchor winches were taken off, and completely stripped down and new bearings, brake pads and two new anchor winch motors fitted.”
“It’s a large vessel and it does take a lot of sandblasting and a lot of painting. But it does look quite nice now.”
“Knowing how valuable the boat is to the island and to the farmers on the island, because livestock needed to be transported, it became very, very frustrating.”
“The delays impacted business severely, but not only our business, it’s impacted other people on the island as well.”
“Farmers were concerned that the feed for their animals was starting to get a bit light on and they needed to get animals off the island. There was also general freight that we needed to get off.”
“On behalf of Eastern Line, I do apologies for the time that it did take. It did not sit well with me at all. At the end of the day, I’m responsible for it, and I don’t blame anyone else for the delays even though it was out of my control.”
“I take responsibility, but it was just very disheartening to work very hard and give a very, very good service for the people of the island, and to be undone by a third party’s inability to do their job properly.”
“Everything is back to normal, and we have picked up two extra knots and the boat is running better than it ever has.”
Mr. Dick is quite clear on his thoughts regarding the Port of Grassy and to the discussions around the need for a safe all-weather harbour.
“In my view, and in a lot of other people’s view, Grassy Harbour is not an all-weather port.”
“If it were an all-weather port, TasPorts wouldn’t have parameters on it.”
“It’s daylight hours only and wind restrictions, and there’s swell restrictions.
“Anybody that knows that harbour, knows very well that a south-westerly wind can pick up the swell up to a metre and over a metre in some instances.”
“I’m not quite sure where the government is getting their information from on that because if it was an all-weather safe harbour, you wouldn’t have restrictions on it.”
“The people of King Island know Grassy Harbour. I find it a little bit unusual that we have government people telling parliament that it’s an all-weather safe harbour.”
“I think to myself, maybe some of the politicians ought to get down there on a 30 knot, south-westerly blow, and have a look at the breakwater.”
“Have a look at the swell that goes in there.”
“They might realise then that the mine, has got overburden that they need to get rid of. When it’s available is the time to do something.”
Independent MLC for Murchison, Ruth Forrest has asked the government on multiple occasions to consider using the Grassy tungsten mine’s overburden to develop an all-weather safe harbour.
This proposition has been rejected by the government saying that the port is a safe all-weather port, and that demand does not indicate the need for development.
“I agree with what Ruth is saying, we should not let the opportunity go by,” Mr. Dick said.