New water ambulance’s emergency hydrofoil refit weeks after launch

A new $1.77 million water ambulance has been taken out of the water for a safety overhaul, two weeks after it was launched, to modify its hydrofoils and reconfigure the on-board patient stretcher bays.

Sealink’s new medicat boat in Weinam Creek has had a number of sea trials which found it needed some modifications to its hydrofoil. Picture: SeaLink

A new medical water ambulance has been taken out of service two weeks after it was launched so major refitting and safety works could be completed.

The $1.77 million medicat, commissioned to service the four southern Moreton Bay islands was launched on August 1.

But weeks later, it was taken to a shipyard in Hemmant for refitting works, which include adjusting its hydrofoils which give stability, lift, speed, reduce wake and offer a smoother ride.

The 12m catamaran, which was built by Commercial Marine Australia at Hemmant this year, has been on anchor in the Brisbane River throughout August and September.

It was also spotted stranded in dry dock while undergoing internal work including reconfiguring the way medical stretchers were secured to the boat’s interior floor.

A Queensland Ambulance spokesperson said the medicat boat was “still being fine tuned” to suit the needs of the ambulance service and paramedics.

It will undergo more sea trials this week and the QAS spokesperson said if all went well, it would be fully operational next week.

The Sealink medicat at the Russell Island jetty. Picture: QAS

He said sea trials during August found there were “different parts” of the vessel that needed adjusting and the interior needed reconfiguring to change the way patients were positioned on-board.

The new boat can take up to three patients at a time and travels at a top speed of 20.6 knots with an average speed of 12.6 knots.

“How we mount stretchers to the floor — without going into the specific technicalities — there are pieces inside where we could do things better,” the spokesperson said.

“It will be in the water very soon but we are not going to put it into operation until it is perfect.

“The work has to do with the hydrofoil and there are a few technicalities to make adjustments.

“We are not in any hurry for it because we have the other (original) boat so we don’t really care if it takes another few weeks but it is not going to take that long.”

The original water ambulance, called Inswiabon, was a Sealink passenger ferry used on August 7 when a fire broke out in a house on Russell Island, killing six people.

Inswiabon has been used as a water ambulance since January when the previous Kitty Kat water ambulance was decommissioned.

Once back in the water, the QAS said it would be based at the Russell Island port and its current location at a Brisbane slipyard was only temporary while maintenance was carried out.

It is still unknown whether Sealink, which owns both of the medicat boats, will continue to allow both vessels to operate from the bay islands.

However, Sealink has guaranteed the islands would never be without a medical boat and it was likely the original medicat will remain as a “backup” vessel for when the new boat needs maintenance.

The new medicat on the hard stand at Hemmant where it was in for modifications to its hydrofoil and the way patient stretchers are secured to the floor. Picture: Contributed

Former island landholder Ian Olsson said there had been concerns that the new boat was not as fast as the island ferries including Jumpinpin which has a top speed of 26.3 knots.

“Our main concern would be over any time delay getting patients in desperate need of medical treatment to the mainland hospitals as fast as possible,” he said.

“I hope that any modifications will increase the speed of the new boat as it can take up to half an hour to get to the mainland from Russell Island on the ferry.

“An ambulance over a bridge would be a lot quicker,” he said.

The QAS spokesperson said the maximum speed was of no concern to the ambulance service.

“We rely on the professionalism of the skipper of the vessel employed by SeaLink to operate the boat in the most appropriate manner considering sea conditions to ensure the utmost safety of our patients and paramedics at all times,” the spokesperson said.

At the time of the launch, SeaLink Marine and Tourism chief executive Donna Gauci said the company was proud of the partnership with QAS and shipbuilder Commercial Marine Australia (CMA).

“CMA’s commitment to delivering above client expectations is again evident in their commitment to deliver another meticulously finished vessel.”