AST Oceanics

Author name: Cindy

New Emergency Towage Vessel for the Great Barrier Reef

AST Oceanics to provide new Emergency Towage Vessel for the Great Barrier Reef

Under a contract signed in early 2014 with Australian Maritime Systems (AMS), a new DP2 AHTS is being built for Oceanics in China for the Great Barrier Reef emergency towage and first response role. The keel laying ceremony took place in July 2015. AMS has a long term contract with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority to provide Emergency Towage Capability services plus extensive maintenance and support for aids to navigation. The vessel component of these services has been sub-contracted to AST Oceanics. A chartered vessel, the ‘Coral Knight’, is currently being operated by AST Oceanics from Cairns and is primarily working on the Queensland coast to provide protection for the Great Barrier Reef from grounding and pollution incidents.  This vessel will be replaced with the new ETV, a slightly larger ship at 69m x 17m, in mid 2016.The new ETV layout has been optimised for the dual role of emergency towage and the deployment and recovery of buoys and associated aids to navigation tasks.

 

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Long Term Emergency Towing Contract

Singapore – AST Oceanics Secures Long Term Emergency Towing Contract with Australian Maritime Services.

AST Oceanics secures contract with Australian Maritime Services (AMS), a global leader in navigation aids design, manufacture and maintenance, to provide a vessel in support of the Australian Maritime Safety Agency’s (AMSA) Emergency Towing Capability (ETC) contract.

In July 2013 AST Oceanics was invited by Australian Maritime Services (AMS), a global leader in navigation aids design, manufacture and maintenance, to bid for the Australian Maritime Safety Agency’s (AMSA) Emergency Towing Capability (ETC) contract. AMS was subsequently selected as preferred tenderer for both the Aids to Navigation and ETC contracts by AMSA in November 2013 after a rigorous tender evaluation process. AST Oceanics was then subcontracted by AMS to provide the Emergency Towing Vessel (ETV) component of the ETC involving provision for 10 years of a fully managed 80 tonne bollard pull AHTS, commencing operations on station 01 July 2014.To meet the AMS contractual requirement,  Oceanics has chartered from  SWISSCO Singapore, their new build vessel SWISSCO EMERALD (which has been renamed CORAL KNIGHT by AMSA) as the ETV for the first two years, during which time Oceanics will build a fully optimised ETV for use in the remaining 8 years of the contract.

AMSA has responsibility under National Maritime Emergency Response Arrangements (NMERA) to provide an appropriate level of Emergency Towage Capability (ETC) around the Australian Coastline. The CORAL KNIGHT is one of the key elements to achieve the NMERA aim to protect the marine environment from actual or potential ship sourced pollution. The CORAL KNIGHT will be available on a 24 hours per day / 7 days a week basis to respond,  under the direction of AMSA , to provide  assistance and stabilise emergency situations involving any ship that is incapacitated and in danger of grounding in the environmentally sensitive sea areas within the Torres Strait and northern Great Barrier Reef. This “First Strike” response is designed to prevent or minimise the risk of pollution from such an incident. The CORAL KNIGHT’s other “First Strike” responsibilities will include: emergency towage; marine pollution response; search and rescue; salvage assistance; fire fighting; passive ship escort; and providing a shipping platform to AMS for Aids to Navigation Maintenance Services. As the SWISSCO EMERALD, the CORAL KNIGHT was delivered to Singapore from the builders yard in Southern China on 31 January. Since then the vessel has been structurally modified for the ETV role including the installation of a large deck crane and additional bridge navigation equipment; and renamed the CORAL KNIGHT and entered onto the Australian register. The ship will be docked to be repainted in the AMSA livery prior to sailing from Singapore for Australian waters on 01 May. Between sailing from Singapore and assuming ETV duties 01 July 2014, the CORAL KNIGHT crew will work up and be tested in all of the ETV First Strike capabilities. The ETV will be home ported in Cairns, Far North Queensland.

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ABFC Thaiyak In Service Support

Canberra – AST Oceanics Signs Contract to Provide In Service Support to ABF Cutter THAIYAK

On 25 March 2014, AST Oceanics entered into a performance based contract with the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service to provide the In Service Support (ISS) to the new build Australian Border Force owned vessel ABFC THAIYAK, due for delivery to Australian Border Force from Oceanics late June 2014.

On 25 March 2014, AST Oceanics entered into a performance based contract with the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service to provide the In Service Support (ISS) to the new build to the ABFC THAIYAK, due for delivery to Australian Border Force from Oceanics late June 2014. The ISS contract has an initial term of 5 years with 2 yearly performance based extensions out to a maximum duration of 15 years; the anticipated service life of the ABFC THAIYAK.

At 500 tonnes GRT, 40 metres in length and with a beam of 11.5 metres, ABFC THAIYAK is a large volume vessel that has been purpose built as an On Station Vessel (OSV) designed for long duration deployments in tropical waters, specifically the pristine environment of the Ashmore Reef marine conservation park, an Australian territory situated about 500nm North West of Darwin, NT. ABFC THAIYAK replaces the Oceanics vessel, ASHMORE GUARDIAN, which has been performing the OSV task since 2007 until recently.

The contract will involve providing full ILS support to the vessel on a 365 day 24/7 basis when the vessel is both on task in Ashmore Reef and on the occasions it returns to its home port of Darwin.

 

 

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ABFC Thaiyak delivered to Customs

Vietnam – Oceanics delivers new Long Term Ashmore Capability vessel replacement,  ABF Cutter THAIYAK , to the Australian Border Force.

On Saturday 29th March 2014, the Managing Director of AST Oceanics, Mr Gregory Darling, attended the launch of the ABF Cutter THAIYAK (Australian Torres Strait Islander word meaning arrow), in the Vung Tau ship yard of West Australian shipbuilder, Strategic Marine. AST Oceanics’s role in the build has been as prime contractor to the Australian Government for the provision of the vessel.

AST Oceanics, Strategic Marine and Fremantle based naval architects, McAlpine Marine Design (MMD), teamed to project manage, design, build and deliver the THAIYAK under a contract awarded to AST Oceanics by the Australian Border Force in February 2013 after an extensive open tendering process.The THAIYAK is a purpose built On Station Vessel (OSV) designed for long duration deployments in tropical waters, specifically the pristine environment of the Ashmore Reef marine conservation park, Australian territory situated about 500nm North West of Darwin, NT. The THAIYAK replaces the Oceanic’s vessel, ASHMORE GUARDIAN, which has been performing the OSV task since 2007 until recently. At 500 tonnes GRT, 40 metres in length and with a beam of 11.5 metres the THAIYAK is a large volume vessel designed by MMD taking into account Custom’s specific needs and Oceanics’s experience in operating the ASHMORE GUARDIAN.  The vessel will have an intended service life of 15 years and is powered by twin diesel engines and bow thruster and can accommodate in excess of 40 persons including crew. The vessel’s “mission system” revolves around two capable RHIB’s stowed aft that can quickly deploy to respond to unauthorised incursions into the Ashmore Reef area. After builders trials in Vietnam, the THAIYAK will be sailed to Australia for final fit out before delivery to AST Oceanics in June 2014 in Perth, Western Australia. AST Oceanics will then handover the vessel to Australian Border Force when it will be manned by Customs personnel and, after shakedown and workup, sail to North Australia to assume duties as ABFC THAIYAK, Australian Custom’s Long Term Ashmore Capability On Station Vessel

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