08/09/2021 02:15 PM
New Tech helps Ampol deliver the goods
On what appeared to be another ordinary day in one of Australia’s busiest ports, an extraordinary piece of technology was at work for the first time on an Ampol-chartered vessel.
Captain Kushal Mitra, Marine Manager for Ampol was on duty at Port Botany and had just been alerted to a problem that was impacting the delivery of diesel supply into NSW.
“Late on 21 July 2021, I was alerted that our vessel, the STI Kingsway, was unable to unload at the usual berth at Kurnell, which had the potential to impact our local supply chain,” Captain Mitra said.
“We needed another option.”
Port Authority of NSW Harbour Master, Sydney Myron Fernandes was already on the case. A new plan using cutting edge technology for the safe navigation of large ships was about to be used for the first time by Ampol in NSW waters.
“Ampol had just started using the Dynamic Under Keel Clearance System (DUKC) on all its vessels operating in Port Botany, encouraged by Port Authority of NSW,” Mr Fernandes said.
“Bringing large vessels such as the STI Kingsway safely into port is a highly technical and skilled profession with no margin for error. Port Authority of NSW takes this responsibility extremely seriously, so we want our work based on the best available science and data.
“At 250metres long, the STI Kingsway is the equivalent of a 75-storey building floating on its side and carrying enough diesel to power a Landcruiser Prado around the earth 7483 times or on 124 round trips from Earth to Moon”.
“The DUKC technology designed by OMCI is world class and provides Marine Pilots and Harbour Masters such as myself, with highly accurate and detailed data, allowing us to bring very large vessels like this safely into ports they may never have been able to access before.”
Captain Mitra had not seen the technology at work before but summed it up quite simply as “remarkable”.
“The DUKC system, gave the Port Authority’s highly skilled Marine Pilot the real time information to bring a vessel the size of the STI Kingsway safely into our Ampol terminal at Kurnell for the first time in history – a complete game changer for us,” Captain Mitra said.
“Shipping in 2021 is a science and as a company operating globally, it’s a delight working with Port Authority of NSW who are world leaders in helping companies such as Ampol bring ships to port safely, securely and sustainably,’’ he said.
