TASPORTS’s North West marine team has welcomed a new pilot launch to the Port of Devonport.
The new vessel Alert was built by Hart Marine and named after the HMS Alert, which navigator Matthew Flinders served on.
Alert is 16 metres long and has an overall beam of 5.43 metres. Classed as a high-speed craft, it has a top speed of 27 knots and a maximum draught of 1.5 metres.
“The vessel … will bring enhanced manoeuvrability and responsiveness to the Port of Devonport’s pilotage services,” TasPorts said.
TasPorts has five other pilot launches in its fleet: Paterson in Bell Bay, Hellyer in Burnie, Tamar in Devonport and Kelly and Paringa in Hobart.
“There’s something a little different about our new addition compared to our other pilot vessels – she’s tropical yellow.”
TasPorts said Alert has been constructed to NSCV criteria with a 2C classification.
