The Australian government was warned as early as 2018 that its $528 million icebreaking research ship was too large to safely pass under Hobart’s Tasman Bridge.
A senate inquiry hearing in Hobart on Wednesday heard that TasPorts had said no to letting the RSV Nuyina pass under the bridge over fears of a repeat of a 1975 accident that brought down part of the bridge and resulted in 12 fatalities.
TasPorts CEO Anthony Donald criticised the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) for not considering the bridge clearance requirements when they made the ship almost 10 metres wider than originally planned.
“The initial information provided to the AAD with respect to the requirements of the transit was in 2018,” Donald said.
“If I was investing in [it] a large amount of money, which clearly was done, I would take into account all of the design requirements for that vessel. That’s what I would have done.”
Donald also questioned why the AAD didn’t secure a suitable dock for the vessel.
“I still remain to this day a little perplexed as to why the AAD would invest such significant money in a really important vessel for Australia and not confirm arrangements and put the appropriate things in place to secure a dedicated wharf that was fit for purpose,” Donald said.
“We respected the choices they made. But to have a vessel of that significance, tied up in a lay-up berth arrangement, with the inability to load and unload, with understanding from our perspective that at a moment’s notice we may deem that berth or that wants to be unserviceable…”
TasPorts is planning tests to determine if the ship can safely pass under the bridge in the future, while the Nuyina currently has to travel to the Burnie port for refueling.
The AAD is scheduled to appear before the inquiry today.
