Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with Darwin Port Operations General Manager Ian Nibblock

Transcript

Katie Woolf spoke with Darwin Port Operations General Manager Ian Nibblock · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Joining us live in the studio for the Darwin Port Report,
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: our last port report for the year. Darwinport Operations General
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Manager Ian Niblock, How are you.
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: Ian, I'm great, Thank you, Katie's.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: Been an interesting year, has Nash?
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: Has it ever? I mean, first of all, where did
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: it go? And then it's been so challenging in so
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: many different ways. And I guess from you know, the
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: port's perspective. COVID nineteen really changed our world.
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: It certainly did, and I guess it made things so
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: different for you guys from the cruise liner industry and
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: all types of things changing. Talk us through the year
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: that has been twenty twenty out at the port.
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: Indeed, so we lost our cruise ships completely, you know,
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: and that's sixty eight ships a year. So that and
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: of course you don't have that wonderful spectacle of the
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: big ships, and of course that affects all the local
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: businesses because they don't have the passengers here. We had
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: to do that risk based system for our pilots because
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: the ships arrived within the fourteen day window, so we
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: had to put that in place, and then we've maintained
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: that throughout and updated it as we've got to gather
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: new information. But do you know, I was just looking
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: through the stats and I estimate we'll do one thousand,
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: six hundred and ninety piloted movements by the end of
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: this year.
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: Wow, how does that compare to other years?
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: So it's down a little bit, Yeah, probably because of
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: the cruise ships. But overall that's pretty good given that
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: it's been such a hard year.
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: And have we still had quite good sort of export
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: numbers and things like that.
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: Yeah, we have. So we've been doing exporting manganese throughout
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: and in fact, this month we're going to export one
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: hundred and thirty thousand tons through the port, so that's
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: really positive. Live exports have been going really well. And
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: then we're also doing things like at the moment we're
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: supporting the development at the Kunawara Naval Base of building
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: a new wharf there. So all of the piles for
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: that wharf will come through the port because they're so
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: big you wouldn't want to try and move them by road,
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: so they come into the port, sit in a laydown
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: area and then go on to a barge over to
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: Kunawara Naval Base. So I was looking at some some
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: of them were forty one meters long.
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: They're just wow, and how long will that take?
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: Well, it's the overall job is about three years, I think,
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: but I'm not sure how long the piling's going to take.
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: Piling can be. It can be challenging at times because
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: sometimes the piles just don't want to go in. So yeah, anyway,
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: we'll see.
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: So we're good, have an interesting It's been a tough year,
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: but it's also I guess it's really shown that territory
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: resilience as well.
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: Has national Oh has it ever? Yeah? Totally and utterly.
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: And you see, you know, you're talking with customers and
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: everyone that everyone's had to get stuck in. Everyone's had
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: to make this work. And we've done really well.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: Yeah, we really have. We have.
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: We've been great.
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: What about you know, what does twenty twenty one bring
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: out at the Darwin Port? Do you think? Have we
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: got some exciting times ahead?
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: I think we have. So we're going to resume iron
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: ore bulk exports. I think you know that was announced
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: a wee while back, So we think the first one
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: will be in January, which is great. That's really fantastic.
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: Plus we're working with a number of potential bulk exporters
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: looking at a range of cargoes and we're hoping that
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: we'll be able to move those through Darwin. So we
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: anticipate that a number of those will come to fruition
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: in twenty twenty one. So that means obviously more more
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: bulk and more ships, more export. In terms of cruise,
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: the government band has been extended to March. I did
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: hear that, But we know that the cruise industry is
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: working really closely with government to put whatever criteria they
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: need to have in place to resume. So we're really
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: hoping that we'll start to see some of the smaller
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: expedition cruise ships come back, probably in the second quarter, okay,
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: So that's really exciting. And then in terms of the
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: bigger stuff, the bigger ships and larger passenger numbers, we're
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: seeing some really buoyant bookings for twenty twenty two. So
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: it's going to come back.
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: It's going to rebound.
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: It's just going to be a bit slow, you know.
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I guess that's the case with every industry, really,
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: isn't it. You know, it's going to be a toughlock.
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: It's been a tough year, but we are going to
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: start to see the rebound hopefully.
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: Yeah, we will. And of course the rebound then has
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: impact on you know, fuel stocks and fuel coming in
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: through the port, and yeah, raw materials for building. You know,
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: there's a number of projects being looked at at the moment,
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: the ship lift and the new naval based wharf and stuff,
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: so all of that's going to need raw materials and
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: it all comes through the port. So we're happy.
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: It's a good thing for you guys, no doubt about it.
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: And you know, it's good to be busy. There's no
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: doubt about that. It is. And generally you know if
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: the port is busy, well you would think that that
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: Darwin is hopefully busy because it means that there's plenty happening.
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: Yeah, we're definitely an early indicator of the economic health
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: and we're seeing it pecking up again. And we've got
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: our way through this year. We've done it really well
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: and we're really looking forward to twenty twenty one and
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: hoping it's not going to be another repeat of this one.
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: Oh absolutely no, well, hopefully not. I think we've done
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: a good job of managing things, no doubt about it.
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: And yeah, well, any block it's always wonderful to have
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: you on the show. We really appreciate the time that
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: you give up, you know, to be on the show
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: and be part of it each and each and every year,
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: but particularly this year and what's been a difficult one.
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: Hope you have a lovely Christmas and we'll see you
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: in the new year.
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: Same to you, Katie. And yeah, it's absolute pleasure to
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: come in and spend a bit of time talking about
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: something that I'm passionate to it about it.
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: I always love it when people come in and they're
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: passionate about what they do, and you clearly are and
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: it's great to hear.
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: For Christmas.
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: Yeah you too, mate, talk to your son. Thank you.
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: So yeah you are listening to Mix one oh four
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: point nine three sixty and that is of course Ian Niblock,
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: who is the Darwin Port Operations General Manager,