AURIGA has announced the beginning of launch-based marine pilot transfer services at the ports of Weipa and Amrun in Far North Queensland.
A collaboration with Ports North came into effect on 1 February, with Auriga now providing launch MPT services for Auriga pilots as well as Ports North pilots, servicing the ports of Amrun and Weipa, respectively.
The ports of Weipa and Amrun are central to Rio Tinto’s bauxite mining and export operations in FNQ. Amrun is operated by Rio Tinto, and Weipa by North Queensland Bulk Ports, though pilotage services at Weipa are provided by Ports North.
The new launch MPT services eliminates “duplicated services” within the same port area, Auriga said in a LinkedIn announcement.
An Auriga spokesperson said the ports of Amrun and Weipa were previously “siloed” in that they were serviced by their own pilot provider, each with their own pilot launch and launch crew and the vessels from each port on their own schedule.
“The vessels are still on their own schedule for their respective port, however now there is an opportunity for discussing efficiencies in the daily meetings,” the spokesperson said.
As the pilot boarding grounds are five nautical miles from each other, there will be opportunities to service all vessels on the one transfer with one launch and one launch crew, they said.
A notable difference is that the focus each day is on the entire Weipa/Amrun operation. Previously, Auriga and Ports North had only relied on each other if a launch was out of service for repairs.
“Combining the service gives more opportunity for regular planned launch maintenance, combined pilot transfer services and an overall sense of teamwork and port efficiency,” the spokesperson said.
They said Auriga and Ports North have engaged in proactive discussions to ensure both parties successfully reached their joint goals of maintaining port efficiency along with the highest safety standards.
