The Palaszczuk Government has announced a $36 million investment in ship tracking technology, aiming to protect the Great Barrier Reef and Queensland’s ports.
Minister for Main Roads and Ports Mark Bailey said Queensland’s existing Vessel Traffic Service operations would undergo a major systems upgrade to help meet the modern demands of international shipping and environmental safeguards. The new system will replace the REEFVTS, that has been protecting the Great Barrier Reef since 2004.
At the core of the new VTS-DST will be the V3000 traffic management and information system built by SAAB and operated by 70 of the world’s major ports, including Rotterdam, Hong Kong and Shanghai as well as several Australian ports.
“Our vessel services operators will be able to provide detailed information to ship captains on sea conditions, ship traffic and potential hazards as well as be able to identify and intervene where developing situations dictate,” Mr Bailey said.
Acting Minister for the Great Barrier Reef Mick de Brenni said the upgrade supported the government’s commitment under Reef 2050 that shipping within the Great Barrier Reef is safe, risks are minimised, and incidents are reduced to as close to zero as possible.
The system will receive information from radar, CCTV, meteorological sensors and Automatic Identification System signals from ships via satellite or radio communications, to give VTS operators the clearest and most up-to-date picture when passing through the Great Barrier Reef.
It is expected the system upgrade will be implemented in a staged approach over the next two years. The ReefVTS component of the system is undertaken in a cooperative partnership with AMSA.
