Port of Townsville to expand pilot boat fleet

The Port of Townsville in Queensland is expanding its fleet of pilot boats to four.

The port has awarded Hart Marine a contract valued at AU$3 million (US$2.03 million) to build a 17.3-metre vessel that is due for delivery later in 2020. The new high-tech vessel will be slightly longer but will have the same design features as Osprey, a pilot boat which was delivered by Hart Marine in late 2017.

Design features to be included in the port’s new pilot boat are the ability to right itself if it capsizes in heavy seas. The boat will also have oversized rudders that give it greater manoeuvrability, wide side-decks that provide more room for pilots, and a wave-piercing beak bow to minimise pitching.