About Us
Australian Reef Pilots Pty Ltd through it's origins, has been involved in the provision of Marine Pilotage through Queensland's shipping channels for more than 100 years. Our origins and heritage stem from the Queensland Coast and Torres Strait Pilot Service. In 1993 the Australian Federal Government deregulated the industry and the Company evolved into its present form. The bulk of the pre-deregulation pilots proudly maintain traditions and high standards.
In 1996, Australian Reef Pilots became the first sea-pilotage service
in the world to achieve Quality Assurance
to ISO 9002. All our pilots, (35), hold licenses issued by the Australian
Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA). We have held the required Document of
Compliance, Queensland Coastal Pilotage Safety Management Code (QCPSMC)
from July 2001.
The geographic coverage of our various services include:-
- The Inner Route of the Great Barrier Reef, between Torres Strait and all Qld ports and fairways.
- The Great North-East Channel, between Torres Strait and Dalrymple Island.
- Grafton Passage (off Cairns), Palm Passage (off Townsville), Hydrographers Passage (off Hay Point)
- Between Torres Strait and Darwin via Clarence and Dundas Straits.
- Umuda (Fly River, PNG), China Strait and Raven Channel (PNG).
- From Torres Strait or Gove (NT) into and out of the port of Bing Bong in the Gulf of Carpenteria.
- Relief port pilots at Gove and Groote Eylandt.
Professional services proudly offered are Great Barrier Reef Pilotage, relieving, emergency and temporary port pilots, specialised cruiseship pilotage and lectures, Towage specialists, Marine Surveys (draft, on/off hire etc), provision of charts, Marine Consultancy, launch hire and helicopter hire through our sister Company, Australian Helicopters, (see Australian Helicopters link).
ARP also service a longstanding contract with Queensland Ports Corporation
crewing and managing Queensland Transport's pilot transfer vessels at
Weipa, Mourilyan/Lucinda, Bowen/Abbot Point and Mackay.
ARP owns and/or operates nine pilot transfer vessels; two at Cairns, three at Thursday Island and one at Yorke Island. A full time Technical Manager is employed to manage and coordinate crews and maintenance for all vessels.
Additional infrastructure includes four working Pilot Houses at Mackay, Cairns, Thursday Island and Yorke Island.
The parent Company, Torres Industries is a private Company currently having in excess of A$76 million in assets and employing around two hundred people. Torres Industries Pty Ltd is the parent company to wholly owned subsidiaries of Australian Reef Pilots and Voyage Management Systems as well as being the principal shareholder of Australian Helicopters Pty Ltd.
ARP's mission is "to be the Leading Provider of Marine Pilotage Services in the Asia Pacific Region".
General Manager: Alan Maffina, with thirtyseven years experience in the shipping industry. Safety & Compliance Manager: Dugald McKellar with fourteen years experience. Operations Manager: Rob Ajax has been in ops for eight years. Technical Manager: Ian Lockley, with enormous technical experience and responsible for coordination and maintenance of our pilot transfer vessels. Thursday Island Manager: Gary Mackay, with an extensive maritime, diving and engineering background.
Captains Anders Andersson, Jan Blindheim, John Cardelli, Matthew Carrell, Ken Casey, Wal Cray, Cor De Waard, Reini Duelberg, John Edgcome-Lucas, Mike Emerson, John Foley, Wel Gamble, John Haines, Peter Harris, Chris Hart, Peter Hay, George Holmes, Alistair Heron, Stanley Lim, Atul Malik, Jonathan Mann, Peter Martin, Michael Plant, Rob Power, David Richardson, Michael Sampson, Tony Savill, Peter Stanley, Peter Stockings, Ben Tan, Richard Tennant, Michael Tidey, Carl Toomey, Andy Traill, Doug Wood.
ARP is a Brisbane based, Quality Assured Pilotage Provider supplying government licensed pilots for all Great Barrier Reef shipping channels.
Our Pilots
ARP has the largest, most experienced and professional group of AMSA licensed pilots. The group has accumulated more than 320 years of Reef pilotage experience, (average 12 years per pilot). Reef pilotage requirements are continually monitored with a recruitment policy focused on maintaining a sufficient pool of highly qualified pilots. All contracted pilots hold current licenses issued by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and were all former shipmasters.
ARP's commitment to uncompromising entry and service standards that far exceed AMSA requirements have resulted in a safety record that sets the benchmark for standards in our area of the coastal pilotage industry.
Crisis Emergency Management
As part of its Quality Assurance framework and to assist client shipowners maintain ISM standards, ARP has established its own Crisis and Emergency Management response procedures. In the hopefully unlikely event of an accident ARP believes that coordination of mutual responses with clients is essential.
Pilot Availability
ARP maintains working pilot stations in Mackay, Cairns, Yorke Island and Thursday Island (Torres Strait). In addition our pilots are domiciled in Cairns, Brisbane, Mackay and Sydney. Accordingly pilots are usually available for late notice bookings.
Thursday Island (Torres Strait)
ARP's pilot station in Torres Strait has been in place since 1951. The station comprises of a 10-room pilot house with two offices, staff residences, three purpose built pilot cutters, helicopter transfer capability, maintenance workshops, slipway and a staff of full time employees. Services available to our customers are:
- Customs and Immigration assistance related to crew changes.
- Assistance with accommodation and arrangement crew repatriations.
- Medivacs, crew mail service and limited ships' stores.
- Delivery of charts through our 'B' Class Chart agency.
- Crew, spares transfers.
Yorke Island (Great North East Channel)
ARP's
pilot station on Yorke Island is a manned base station servicing ships
piloted through the Great North East Channel. It is equipped with accommodation,
a communications network and our new purpose-built pilot cutter, "Dhuwa". ARP is the only Provider
using the only officially gazetted boarding ground in the area, (Dalrymple
Island). The base was established in 1992, after years of negotiation
and consultation with the Yorke Island Council and provides employment for the local community.
