| Plenty of cruise ship fuel for Sydney Harbour

CALTEX is set to bring a larger bunker tanker
to Sydney to meet the huge growth in demand
from the cruise ship market.
The oil company says its current bunker
tanker can’t service the cruise industry
because it can’t travel around to Sydney
Harbour from its Botany Bay base.
The new double-hulled tanker named the
Anatoma will be able to make this transit, with
Caltex Australia saying this is “an important
step in helping alleviate some of the concerns
about fuel supply for Sydney Harbour’s cruise
visits”.
MEANWHILE Sydney Ports Corporation
together with Caltex yesterday undertook a
joint emergency test exercise to gauge their
responsiveness to the threat of an oil spill in
Botany Bay.
The test consisted of a simulated situation
whereby a crude oil tanker containing 6000
tonnes of oil suffered engine failure, colliding
with a mooring “dolphin” at Kurnell wharf in
the south of Sydney.
Sydney ports ceo Grant Gilfillan said prior to
the exercise would test procedures and
equipment, as well as ensuring that
communication systems between Sydney Ports
and Caltex were all in sync with other
supporting agencies in the NSW State Waters
Marine Oil and Chemical Spill Contingency Plan.
“Up to 35 Sydney Ports and 10 Caltex
personnel will be involved in the exercise,
utilising a range of oil spill equipment such as
containment booms, skimmers and
decontamination units,” Mr Gilfillan added.
In the 2010/11 financial year, Sydney Ports
processed over 12-million tonnes of crude and
refined oil products through shipping berths
in Kurnell in Botany Bay and Gore Cove in
Sydney Harbour.