PORTS Victoria has announced it has appointed Captain Mike Dunn as the new Harbour Master for the port of Melbourne.
Hailing from the United Kingdom, Captain Dunn comes to the role after 12 years as Harbour Master of some of the UK’s major ports.
Announcing the appointment, Ports Victoria CEO Craig Walker said Captain Dunn was the standout contender from a stellar field of local and international applicants.
“We’re delighted to welcome Mike to the team. He has an outstanding international reputation and his wealth of experience across many years of ports management, and before that as a respected mariner, will be a great bonus for the port of Melbourne,” he said.
“I look forward to Mike building upon the work of previous Melbourne Harbour Masters and taking our operations to the next level.”
Before his Harbour Master roles, Captain Dunn was also a ship’s master for 12 years, with his overall career in ports and maritime roles spanning 38 years in both the public and private sectors.
Captain Dunn said on his appointment to the role, “I would like to thank Ports Victoria for offering me this tremendous opportunity, I am thrilled to be taking on this new role and the major international move for myself and my family”.
“I love the maritime industry and always have, and can’t wait to join the Ports Victoria team at an important time of growth and consolidation for the Australian maritime industry.”
Captain Dunn is currently the Associated British Ports (ABP)’s divisional Harbour Master for the East Anglian Ports of Ipswich, Lowestoft, and Kings Lynn.
From 2015 to 2022, he was Harbour Master and Executive Director on the Harwich Haven Authority Board, which included the roles of competent and statutory Harbour Master for the ports of Felixstowe, Harwich International, Harwich Navy Yard, and Mistley.
Prior to that role, he spent two years as statutory Harbour Master for the ABP Ports of Hull and Goole.
Captain Dunn follows previous port of Melbourne Harbour Master Warwick Laing, who was appointed Head of Maritime Operations at Port of Melbourne in July this year.
