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As the boating season begins in the north of the State, the Department of Transport (DoT) is taking to the road and reminding skippers they need to be ready for an emergency on board.

DoT’s safety education team will be in the north of WA this winter visiting boating hotspots urging skippers and their passengers to take the 30 Second Challenge.

DoT Manager of Safety Education Laurie Adams said in an emergency on the water 30 seconds could be all the time skippers and passengers have to grab life-saving safety equipment.

“The 30 Second Challenge tests readiness for an emergency response on board a vessel but until people actually take the challenge on their boat, they don’t know if they will have time to get the gear they need to survive,” Mr Adams said

Safety gear needs to be well maintained and easily accessible if it is to be effective in an emergency situation. In the past financial year 11 people died in recreational boating incidents in WA –  nearly triple the annual average of four deaths.

Mr Adams said the challenge was implemented in response to the detailed analysis of incident data which showed that better maintenance of safety gear and improved accessibility could have limited the number of tragedies.

“The importance of safety gear can never be overstated – tragically eight of the 11 deaths (73 per cent) on WA waters last year may have been prevented if the person had been wearing a lifejacket when they entered the water,” Mr Adams said.

People can visit our website to find out how to take the challenge then like MarineSafetyWA on Facebook to upload it.

DoT Safety Education officers will be encouraging skippers to take the 30 Second Challenge and providing safe boating advice at:
• Indian Ocean Drive locations and Geraldton July 3-5, 2019
• Carnarvon, Coral Bay and Exmouth July 15-22, 2019
• Broome and Derby July 23-31, 2019
• Karratha and Dampier August 1-7,2019.

Further information about locations and times are available here 
 or MarineSafetyWA on Facebook.

Media contact: media@transport.wa.gov.au

Work has now started on upgrading the breakwater at the entrance to Beadon Creek to enhance Onslow's capacity to service the offshore oil and gas industry off the Pilbara coast.

The State Government, jointly with the Onslow Marine Supply Base (OMSB), recently awarded WA-based company Ertech a $4.4 million contract for urgent upgrades to the breakwater at Beadon Creek.

To continue reading the media statement please visit the link below. Alternatively visit the Beadon Creek page.

Work starts on Beadon Creek breakwater upgrade

The State’s resource rich Pilbara region will be the focus of a major oil spill response exercise next month, prompting organisers to reassure the local community there’s no need for concern. 

Hosted by the Port of Dampier and staged over three days commencing June 18, 2019, Exercise Dampier Challenge will involve simulated response activities including oiled wildlife and shoreline clean-up.

Department of Transport (DoT) Marine Safety General Manager Ray Buchholz said the exercise would see State authorities, local government and the private sector responding to a realistic scenario to measure their individual preparedness and response capabilities as well as their ability to work collectively.

Mr Buchholz said members of the community should not be concerned if they observe equipment deployments and other exercise related activities in the Dampier area.

“The State is well prepared to respond to major maritime environmental emergencies in the Pilbara and exercises such as this provide a valuable opportunity to enhance response arrangements,” Mr Buchholz said.
 
DoT is the State’s lead agency for ensuring an effective response to maritime environmental emergencies and is working closely with the Pilbara Ports Authority to stage the exercise. Other major players include the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Port of Dampier operators, petroleum companies and the City of Karratha.

“Approximately 90 people from up to 12 organisations will be involved in what is a significant opportunity to boost skills and hone the State’s plans for dealing with a major spill,” Mr Buchholz said.

Field deployments will involve booms and skimmers on the water, the simulated clean-up of oil and the collection and treatment of simulated oiled wildlife.

For further information about maritime environmental emergency response arrangements in WA, visit Marine pollution. 

Media Contact: media@transport.wa.gov.au