Aussie-built landing craft deployed in GBR

A landing craft designed and built in Australia has been conveyed to the Great Barrier Reef Joint Field Management Program. 

Tony Riek of Norman Wright and Sons said Island Guardian performed “impeccably” on ocean trials. 

“The successful build involved the use of our lightweight construction techniques and high standard of build quality,” Riek said. 

The 21-meter-long Island Guardian was built by Norman Wright and Son in Queensland and designed by Incat Crowther. 

The businesses planned and constructed the vessel to upgrade research, incident response and the management of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage region. The vessel was used for the transportation of gear and vehicles to far-off regions of the reef. It can convey up to 7.5 lots of deck freight. 

“The package delivered by Incat Crowther streamlined the physical shipbuilding process and delivered on a very complex set of parameters. We are very pleased to achieve such a successful outcome for the client.” Riek added. 

Incat Crowther technical manager Dan Mace said the brief from the Incomparable Hindrance Reef Joint Field Management Program was a complex, yet all the same interesting one. 

“The challenge was to deliver a vessel with several unique elements to enable it to operate safely and efficiently in one of the most pristine environments in the world. 

Our team collaborated closely with the client to achieve this, and we are pleased that the customer is incredibly happy with the final product,” Mace said. 

The deck crane can lift a payload of 680 kilograms at a 7.5-meter sweep. Incat Crowther said Island Guardian can securely safeguard and deliver marine life gauging as much as 600 kilograms. 

The vessel has a cruising pace of 20 knots and travels at a speed of up to 25 knots. It can move up to 24 faculty personnel on its freight.