Australian government to invest in new icebreaker wharf at Port of Hobart

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed earlier this week that the federal government will invest in the construction of a specialised wharf to be used by the research icebreaker Nuyina whenever the latter is berthed at its homeport of Hobart.

Mr Albanese said the AU$188 million (US$126 million) will be invested over four years for the construction of the wharf, which will feature a fit-for-purpose berth for Nuyina as a base for the Australian Antarctic Program's operations in Hobart.

Tanya Plibersek, Australia's Minister for the Environment and Water, added that an agreement has also been reached with port operator TasPorts for the establishment of refuelling facilities for Nuyina in Hobart in collaboration with the Tasmanian Government.

Because of an identified issue with Nuyina's directional stability, TasPorts has prohibited the icebreaker from transiting underneath Tasmania's Tasman Bridge from Hobart to a refuelling jetty at Selfs Point just four kilometres away. The vessel has to instead sail 660 kilometres from Hobart to the Port of Burnie for bunkering before it could sail on any voyages to Antarctica.

Ms Plibersek said that having to sail first to Burnie only for refuelling adds about AU$900,000 (US$600,000) a year to the expense of the running the ship.

Mr Albanese added that the funding for the new wharf will be included in the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO), which will be finalised in December. The amount will be included in the federal budget next March.