New bridge for Bundaberg ????

Where do I start ?? Firstly I apologise for the recent lack of blogging late last year - I guess I was blogged out!!!

First item for this year was the arrival, assembly and placement of a large barge which arrived in Bundaberg from Newcastle on three semi-trailers. The two barge halves were placed in the water by the ship-lift at the Port Marina, and then Stewart's largest crane assisted with the assembly and fitout of the barge.

The two barge sections with a green container mounted across them.

After I left the site, the spud poles, the excavator and a drilling rig were loaded onto the barge, before it was pushed upstream by that small tender seen in this photo.

Interestingly, the destination for the barge was the area of the cane-ferry crsssing which is one of the narrowest sections of the Burnett River. 

Now, the only information I could glean from the contractors was that they are testing the ground (taking core samples) for a possible new bridge.

Unanswered questions in my mind (at the time, I might add) -

1. Would this open up Bundaberg Port to potential coal exports?
2. Why build a bridge there when it would be more useful closer to the CBD, say just downstream from the sugar mill, where it could relieve some pressure from Quay Street?

Our Latest Eco Visitor

Almost 6:30am - can you see the Eco visitor ? [30/08/2012]

This time of the year in Bundaberg, the days are glorious, but 6:23 in the morning, although beautiful as you can see, it is still a little fresh.

However, the ship on the righthand side of the above photo is the latest sugar ship to Bundy, the "Eco Vanguard". She is 169m long and 27m wide and her last port was Darwin.

The "Eco Vanguard" sailing up the Burnett River, assisted by "PT Monto" and local tug "Ballina" [30/08/2012]

These days two tugs are required for ships in our port, and on this occasion, the local tug "Ballina" was assisted by "PT Monto" which was on her way from Gladstone to Brisbane.

"PT Monto" alongside the "Eco Vanguard", preparing to take on a bow line [30/08/2012]

Loading a ship this size can be completed in under 24 hours, and so the next morning, "Eco Vanguard" sailed down the Burnett River, heading for Kinuura in Japan with 25000 tonnes of our finest sugar.

"Eco Vanguard", somewhat lower in the water - next port, Kinuura, Japan [31/08/2012]

New Creation for Bundaberg

Well - as of yesterday, Bundaberg has a New Creation - not another turtle roundabout nor another whale wall. The New Creation is a 178m ship which came from Kaohsiung Taiwan to load sugar to go to San Francisco.

The most interesting part of a ship arriving in Bundy for me is when they turn the ship around prior to it docking at the sugar terminal. In this next photo you can see the port anchor in the river as the pivot point for swinging the ship.




Swinging the "New Creation", with the Line Boat in the foreground and the tug "Ballina" pushing.

 

Eventually the ship is pointing down the Burnett River, ready to be pushed to the wharf. As I write this, the ship will be almost loaded and ready to depart for SF on the next high tide, just before midday. I believe this to be the first ship for the "Ballina" under its new captain, following the retirement in June of local icon, "Captain Steve".

Tug "SMIT Leopard", "New Creation", the Line Boat and tug "Ballina"

I wish Steve a happy and safe retirement and thank him for helping me with my shipspotting in Bundaberg.