Two tugs have been removed from the Mersey River near Devonport, on the northwest coast of Tasmania, by break bulk and multi-purpose shipping operator AAL (a member of Shipping Australia).
The AAL Melbourne, a heavy lift vessel with a 31,000-deadweight capacity and 700 tonnes of payload, was selected for the task. The tugs were lifted and then transported up the East Coast to Brisbane as part of their job. AAL was commissioned to provide a ship from its “Asia to Australia East Coast Liner Service” by United Salvage, an emergency response, salvage, and environmental assistance service located in Port Kembla, New South Wales. More than 100 employees, according to TasPorts CEO Anthony Donald, worked on the project. He said, “We not only had the huge problem of tide and weather, but also the local natural eddies and possible marine pollution.” TasPorts collaborated closely with Tasmania, which stationed staff there to provide environmental management guidance. It was one of the most complicated salvage operations they had ever carried out, according to insurers and salvagers with vast international expertise. The salvage process itself was cautious and slow, reflecting the careful preparation and cooperation needed to carry out the mission effectively.
“This operation would not have been possible with either a container or ro-ro vessel,” said Frank Mueller, general manager of AAL Australia. “This is ironic because, in this period of prolonged port and terminal congestion across Australia, those vessels are being prioritized over MPP and general cargo vessels for port entry slots, and our resulting waiting times are severe and unbalanced. It not only demonstrates the versatility of our current heavy lift fleet and engineering expertise, but also AAL’s dedication to the Australian market given that, in contrast to other operators, we have provided nonstop service to the region for more than 25 years, making AAL an easy and obvious choice for United Salvage.
