Christmas Island

The final island that I visited on my Churchill Fellowship was Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean.  At Christmas Island I particularly wanted to observe the barges they use to handle containers when they are unable to use the tower crane at Flying Fish Cove particularly in the swell season.

Flying Fish Cove

 At Christmas Island they have 3 separate port facilities to handle the unloading of containers depending on the sea conditions.

 

Firstly, at Flying Fish Cove there is a luffing jib tower crane adjacent to the phosphate loading  cantilever, used for both unloading containers & loading bagged phosphate. There is no berth with ships being moored just offshore under the tower crane & a 20m cliff to deep water mooring buoys.

Flying Fish Cove Jetty & Barge

Secondly, at times due to the sea conditions it is not possible for the ships to moor under the tower crane at Flying Fish, and containers are transported ashore using motorised barges where they are unloaded using a gantry crane at the end of the Flying Fish Cove jetty.  This gantry crane is also used to launch & recover the motorised barges & the pilot vessel.

Norris Point

Lastly, during the swell season from December to March there is an alternate facility at Norris Point on the Eastern shoreline that is also equipped with a luffing jib tower crane.  At Norris point the ship cannot moor under the tower crane and the barges are used to transport the containers from the ship to the under the crane.

There are 2 motorised barges at Christmas Island with a length of 11 metres and capable of carrying a single 20’ container with a maximum weight of 32 tonnes.  2 Detroit Diesel engines power each barge, and when transporting containers has a crew of 6 men.  The same barges are often seen in the news media transporting asylum seekers ashore.  The operation of the barges & vessel stevedoring is by a private operator, Complete Stevedoring & Freight Services Pty Ltd.

Of all the Islands that I visited, the barges used at Christmas Island would be the most ideal solution for unloading containers from ships at Norfolk Island.

The Australian Government through the Department of Regional Australia, Local Government, Arts and Sport has contracted the management of the Christmas Island port to Patrick Ports. The Australian Government is currently calling tenders for a 41m extension to the Flying Fish Cove Jetty, and for replacement barges.

My thanks to Kelana Arshad from the Complete Stevedoring & Freight Services for taking the time to show me the marine facilities & the stevedoring operations, and to Dave Robertson the Port Manager for Patrick Ports.