THE PORT Authority of New South Wales (PANSW) has revealed a new floating pontoon built at Sydney Harbour’s Moores Wharf, to improve access and increase operational efficiency.
PANSW chief operating officer, John Finch said the upgrade was an important improvement to the port authority’s marine operations on Australia’s busiest harbour.
“Moores Wharf is the home of our Sydney operations team, and the pontoon upgrade will not only improve our operational capabilities but also reaffirms our commitment to safety and responsiveness in the event of incidents in the harbour,” Captain Finch said.
“The two existing jetties had reached the end of their serviceable life, and we decided on a floating pontoon design because it has several advantages over the previous fixed T-jetty.
“The pontoon floats up and down with the tide movement and maintains a consistent level with our vessels’ decks. This ensures our marine operations team can access vessels safely and more efficiently, which is particularly important for quick turnaround operations and emergency responses.”
Captain Finch detailed that the pontoon also provides more flexibility for mooring PANSW’s pilot and multipurpose vessels, which will be able to dock regardless of the tide, as well as the number of berths having increased to eight.
As part of the upgrade, a new wave baffle was installed at the end of the wharf, designed to protect the port authority’s vessels by absorbing energy from waves generated by passing vessels.
Mr Finch said since the baffle was built, PANSW had seen a noticeable decrease in wave action, and that the water is now a lot calmer making it easier for vessels to dock and manoeuvre.
The new pontoon also comes with an additional fuel bowser to service PANSW vessels, as well as upgraded solar-powered lights to enhance visibility in the marina.
Located next to Barangaroo, the Moores Wharf facility is home to PANSW’s marine operations base in Sydney Harbour.
PANSW said the facility serves as a critical staging point for daily operations and emergency response, with marine operations operating 24/7, 365 days a year to oversee thousands of vessel movements on the harbour.
