Sea Swift’s Newcastle Bay II launched in Indonesia to serve Cairns, Horn Island and Weipa
The largest ship ever put into service by Sea Swift has been floated ahead of bringing a crucial service to remote Torres Strait and Cape York communities. SEE THE LAUNCH VIDEO
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A BOTTLE of booze has been cracked across the bow of the largest ship ever put into service by North Queensland’s leading marine transport company ahead of bringing a crucial service to remote Torres Strait and Cape York communities in 2023.
The MV Newcastle Bay II is a multipurpose passenger cargo ship outfitted for transportation of containers and built at Bandar Abadi Shipyard, Indonesia for Sea Swift.
At 100m long with a beam of 18m the Newcastle Bay II can carry 36 passengers in two areas with ensuite accommodation. The ship will ply waters between Cairns, Horn Island and Weipa.
Cargo bound for Cape York and the Torres Strait is expected to include food, fuel, medical supplies, hardware and mining equipment.
Sea Swift chief executive officer Dwayne Freeman said the floating of Newcastle Bay II was a major milestone achieved through hundreds of hours of planning.
“I’m delighted to confirm that the Newcastle Bay vessel has been successfully floated for the first time,” he said.
“It’s a remarkable sight to see the vessel in the water.
“Sea Swift is very proud to see the delivery of this fine vessel coming together, despite the complications of travel and supply chains through the Covid period.”
After close to 30 years’ of faithful service the first Newcastle Bay was retired in 2019.
The MV Newcastle Bay II was to begin service in March 2021 but commissioning of the ship has been delayed until 2022.
Listed with Lloyd’s Register, surveyors of the renown marine underwriters and compliance company have inspected welds and the electrics of the new vessel.
“The next major milestone for the vessel is a successful inclining experiment in the coming
weeks,” Mr Freeman said.
“As you can imagine, there is a large volume of work ongoing and we will endeavour to
provide regular updates as we move forward.”
Sea Swift customers can expect to see the Newcastle Bay II visiting remote Far
North Queensland communities next year.
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Originally published as Sea Swift’s Newcastle Bay II launched in Indonesia to serve Cairns, Horn Island and Weipa
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