The seventh national shipping industry conference, Natship12, continues in Melbourne today with delegates addressing the key issues facing Australia’s maritime sector.
Today’s sessions will include discussions on protecting the Great Barrier Reef, search and rescue operations and shipping’s impact on the marine environment.
In response to a predicted increase in shipping traffic in the Great Barrier Reef, industry leaders including Russell Reichelt, Chairman of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Llew Russell, CEO of Shipping Australia and Darren Kindleysides, Director of the Australian Marine Conservation Society will outline the issues facing the various stakeholders of the Great Barrier Reef.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s search and rescue officers will provide an overview of some major search and rescue operations in recent times, including the Rabaul Queen capsize in February 2012.
The captain of the MOL Summer, one of the merchant vessels involved in the rescue of more than 200 people during that incident, will present to delegates on the role his crew played during the operation.
Another major maritime incident from 2011, the grounding of the MV Rena in New Zealand, will be featured in discussions about the protection of the marine environment.
More than 200 industry representatives are attending Natship12, which is due to close this afternoon after two days of discussions about Australia’s shipping future.