Big ship from out of the blue
HARBOUR Master Captain Dilip Abraham has encouraged Geelong residents to take up a ringside seat to see the Navy’s biggest warship this week.
The 80,000-tonne Blue Marlin is expected into Geelong on Thursday — weather permitting — with its 28,000- tonne cargo.
A meeting was held to prepare for the visit of the cargo ship, which will be carrying the Royal Australian Navy’s new 230m Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) vessel .
‘‘It will be an amazing sight,’’ Capt Abraham said.
The Blue Marlin will stay in Geelong for two or three days.
‘‘The total length of the heavy marine transport ship and the LHD hull on her deck will be about 280m, with the end of the hull protruding 55 metres out the back,’’ he said.
‘‘We haven’t had a big naval LHD come in before and it will be quite a spectacular sight.’’
The Blue Marlin’s cargo is the first of the Navy’s two Spanish-built LHD ship hulls to arrive in Australian waters.
Port Phillip sea pilots will guide the Blue Marlin along Geelong’s channels to dock, under the watchful eye of the harbour master aboard the Victorian Regional Channels Authority boat George Molland.
‘‘ Our channels are 120m wide and this vessel is 63m wide, so we need to plan carefully,’’ Capt Abraham said.
‘‘A crew will remove her sea fastenings at dock and the Blue Marlin will head to the deepest part of Port Phillip Bay to discharge the hull by submerging her deck, allowing the hull to float free,’’ Capt Abraham said.
Tugs will then ferry the LHD hull, to be called HMAS Canberra, to Williamstown, where the superstructure will be completed and combat, communications and navigation systems installed. The Blue Marlin left Spain in August.