Safety was excluded from ship lift tender documents, rival bidder claims

One of the unsuccessful bidders to build Darwin’s ship lift said there was a major omission from the tender documents. Read what was missing.

Safety requirements were omitted from the Territory government’s tender to construct a ship lift in Darwin’s East Arm, one of the unsuccessful bidders has claimed.

Geoff Stokoe, vice president of Norwegian-based Synchrolift, one of three companies short-listed to build Darwin’s ship lift, said there were “no requirements specified for safety” in the NT government’s tender.

A forgotten video of a ship lift accident in Darwin almost 30 years ago, reposted by the NT News after the government’s May announcement the project had been awarded to US company Pearlson, has put the focus on project safety.

Australian Navy patrol boat HMAS Gawler in 1998 after being stuck in mid-air while being lowered into water by lifting platform in Darwin.

The government said project safety “was a key priority”.

Headed ‘New Darwin Ship lift Design – Echoes of 1998 Accident’ Mr Stokoe posted to The Maritime Executive’s Linked In page’s 14,000 members that the Territory government had selected the same ship lift design that led to the 1998 accident shown on the NT News’ May 7 video.

“In a move that raises serious safety concerns, Australia’s Northern Territory government has selected the same ship lift design principle that led to a serious accident in 1998,” Mr Stokoe said.

“The accident occurred when a navy Patrol Boat docked on a Darwin ship lift, did a backflip off the platform. The planned new ship lift is also based on the same 67-year-old design well known for its flaws and high accident rate (15 per cent), despite the availability of proven safer alternatives.

Australian Navy patrol boat HMAS Gawler on her side after crashing onto wharf last century while being lowered into water by a lifting platform in Darwin.

“The 1998 Darwin ship lift accident resulted from a single wire break, which exemplifies the dangers of the hinged, or non-welded design. This type of platform design lacks redundancy, meaning there is no backup system to prevent collapse if a critical component fails. Notably, 15 per cent of ship lifts using this design have experienced similar accidents.”

“In the tender for the new Darwin ship lift, there were no requirements specified for safety, a glaring omission in today’s world where robust and redundant designs are essential for handling commercial and navy ships.

“For the record, the same articulated design is also being installed in Marinette Wisconsin, Jacksonville Florida and Mobile Alabama. Again, the designs have been selected on “it’s the same as the one before” cookie-cutter legacy basis, and not as a result of any risk or functionality assessments. So, a similar accident is possible on all four, as yet unproven, installations.”

A copy of the 1998 video was linked to the post.

Chief Minister Eva Lawler announcing US company Pearlson had been awarded a $48m ship lift construction contract with Solomon MP Luke Gosling and Shane Dahlhelm Executive Director of Infrastructure NT Shane Dahlhelm. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

In response, Chief Minister Eva Lawler did not reference the tender document but said safety was a priority.

“Navigation simulations and hydraulic modelling have been completed for the ship lift design to ensure it is safe and fit for purpose,” she said. “The simulations were undertaken using a wide variety of vessels that could use the facility and confirmed that the layout has improved vessel movements.

“The final design elements of the ship lift facility are expected to be substantially completed in the coming months.”

Synchrolift, which along with Bardex, was unsuccessful in the ship lift tender, uses platforms raised and lowered by a large number of synchronised wire drum winches on either side of the dock.

On its web page Clough, which partnered with BMD to build the $515m project, noted Pearlson’s self-propelled modular transporter.

“The ship lift system is the componentry that physically lifts and lowers the vessels in and out of the water. The SPMT is a modular system used to move vessels around the facility once they are out of the water. The steel trestles are used to support the vessels when they are lifted out of the water and transferred onto land.”