October 12 - Sea Swift has taken delivery of a new tug-and-barge team - Cronus and Arion - launched in a gala ceremony in the company's home town of Cairns, Australia.
The vessels' maiden voyage was to BHP Gemco at Groote Eylandt, carrying about AUD20 million (USD19.6) in equipment from Brisbane.
Sea Swift says that a significant advantage of the tug-barge team is that machinery can be moved in one piece, due to the eight-metre wide door entry into the barge.
Sea Swift sales and marketing manager Mike Parry said that the vessels were introduced to serve oil and gas, mining and infrastructure projects across the Northern Australia region.
Their maiden voyage demonstrated the advantages of the eight-metre wide door entry which allowed the machinery to be rolled onto and off the barge; which saved many weeks in the down time that would have been incurred had the machinery had to have been dismantled and re-assembled.
Parry added that the loading of the machinery for the maiden voyage in Brisbane had attracted considerable interest from other mining companies.
Sea Swift owns and operates an extensive fleet of 23 vessels in Far North Queensland, delivering vital supplies and services to remote Cape York, Torres Strait and Gulf of Carpentaria communities, coastal islands and commercial fishing fleets. With 250 employees the company provides a diverse range of services, such as project logistics, cargo, breakbulk, and bulk fuel shipping, fishery support, container freight and freighter travel.
