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

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Joining us on the line right now is Ian Niblock
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: from the Darwin Port. Good morning to you.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: Ian, Good morning Katie.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Now, Ian, I know that's obviously a lot of different
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: industries impacted in different ways as a result of the
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: current COVID lockdown. How are things for you guys out
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: at the port? Is it all sort of smooth sailing?
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: Pardon the pun, Well, it is smooth sailing. I'll forgive
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: you for that one, yeah, because we fall under schedule
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: what schedule one of the Chief Health Officers direction in
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: terms of freight services for road, rail, seat and air,
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: and we cover three of those off So the port
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: continues to operate because we're an essential service and you know, goods, fuel,
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: all of that stuff needs to be taken in and
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: out of the territory for our businesses and for the public.
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: So what we've done is everyone who can work from
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: home is now working from home, and then those frontline
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: essential personnel. So that's our harbor control, our landside operations, maintenance,
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: and wharf operations security. Obviously our pilots to move the
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: ships and the pilot boat are all working normally, but
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: obviously complying with the Chief Health Officers directions for masks
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: minimizing physical contact and all that stuff.
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: Yeah. So and so at this point in Tommy, are
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: you guys pretty busy still?
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: Yeah, we are. We've got our normal traffic coming through
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: for both the Gap terminals and then also all of
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: our traffic at Eastern Wolf so we're loading a manganese
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: vessel at the moment. At Eastern Wharf, we've got cattle
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: vessels coming through for livestock exports. And just at the
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: moment we've got a couple of naval vessels in so
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: very imposing HMAS Canberra at Fort Hill Wholf. You can't
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: miss her. She's a very large ship. And also we've
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: got the HMAS and ZAC at East Earn Wharf. I
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: think they've been at sea for an excess of seventy days,
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: probably due a bit of a break, some downtime and
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: also some maintenance. So it's great to see them here.
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: In terms of their crews, yeah, they're complying with the
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: Chief Health Officers directions the same as the rest of us.
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: So if they want to exercise, it's just an hour
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: within five k's of their ship, and they can only
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: go to supermarkets and for health treatment and stuff like that,
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: so the same as the rest of us. Interestingly, the
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: comment was made to me that they don't pose the
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: rest to us because they've been at C for seventy days.
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: We pose the rest to them, which is a first statement.
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's something that I hadn't even thought of before.
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: Have So for them, were they they were obviously planning
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: on docking here or being here in port before we
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: went into a lockdown, So like you'd sort of said,
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: they're obviously here for a bit of respite and some
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: maintenance and that kind of thing. Are probably a bit
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: disappointing for them that we're in lockdown, as it is
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: for all, But they're all pretty understanding. I'm guessing well.
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: They are, And you know, I can relate to when
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: I was away to see that. You know, you're very
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: busy a lot of the time I was Merchant Navy,
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: so moving cargoes around. But if you got some time
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: down that downtime where you had so just a couple
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: of days or even just a half day where you
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: could break the normal routine and just take some time
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: to sort of bees back and not have to do
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: your watches, have to do your cargo handling. That was
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: really helpful because it just helps you recover a little bit.
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: So you know, I'm sure they've been really busy running
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: the ship, and I think they've been doing exercises, so
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: even being in lockdown will give them a break. And
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: I'm sure that they're along with the rest of us
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: with fingers and toes crossed that the lockdown ends today
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: and sorry tomorrow at lunchtime.
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: And so how long are they here for.
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: Ian, Well, they're here until the twenty sixth, so they've
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: got a good stay in port ten days that they
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: arrives on the sixteenth. So this your scope. So even
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: if you know, if the Chief Minister does extend the lockdown,
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: there's plenty of scope for them to still be alongside
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: and have that chance to go and have a little
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: little look at Darmin and potentially spend some money here
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: as well.
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: And while they are here, if our lockdown lives, is
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: it worth going and having a bit of a squeeze
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: at these ships.
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: Well, you won't be able to see the Anzac unless
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: you've got a boat the star and wharf, but you
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: can definitely see the camera from anywhere along the estronade
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: or if you drop down to the waterfront there because
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: she's very large, very imposing ships. So I went for
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: a walk yesterday evening around that way and she's right there.
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: You can't miss her.
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: Good stuff, Oh, will Ian, it's always good to catch
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: up and it by the sounds of things, it's all
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: sort of normal operations for you guys there at the
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: port at the moment.
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: Well it is. We're keeping it as normal as we
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: possibly can. As I say, it's just frontline troops on
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: deck at the moment. And you know, I think you
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: visit a tarbor control so you know that that's our
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: coordination center for all the movements and the port, so
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: it's absolutely essential that that continues to operate for safety.
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, Captain Ian Niblock, the general manager of operations
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: at the Darwin Port. Always good to catch up with you.
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: Thanks so much for having a chat with us today.
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: Absolutely my pleasure, Katie is always thank you.
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: Stay safety and