Twenty-four local stevedores from Australian Marshalling Services (AMS) will start work unloading the third shipment of Boco Rock Wind Farm components at the Port of Eden on Wednesday morning.
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The Eden-based outfit had been largely sidelined throughout the discharge of the first two shipments, with Port Kembla-based Patrick Ports and Stevedoring carrying out the work.
Four AMS workers were integrated into the Patrick team for both projects, but AMS operations manager David Staight has made no secret of his desire for the local outfit to carry out the work.
AMS were among those who campaigned over a three-year period for the Port of Eden to be utilised for the delivery of Boco Rock components.
Mr Staight said the full complement of 24 AMS stevedores would be involved in the discharge of tower sections and nacelles, which are set to arrive at the Port of Eden aboard the bulk carrier Lucas Oldendorff on Tuesday night.
“After negotiation with this particular shipping line (Oldendorff), they have agreed for us to do the discharge of this shipment,” Mr Staight said on Monday night.
“We’ll have 12 guys out there on each shift, so with both the day and night shifts that’s 24 local guys getting work.
“That’s a massive difference to Patrick’s doing the work and having four of our guys on.”
Mr Staight said that while the awarding of contracts for upcoming shipments remains unclear, the opportunity to carry out this discharge will hold AMS in good stead.
He said that he is unsure whether Oldendorff has secured involvement in transporting any of the remaining Boco Rock components.
“If we manage this discharge successfully, which I’m confident we will, it certainly gives us a good bargaining chip with other shipping lines,” he said.
“Whether Oldendorff are the shipping line or not (for the remaining components), we can go into negotiations and say that we’ve done this type of discharge before.”