Environment
Reef Ranger Highly efficient and deceptively fast, Reef Ranger has given protectors of the Great Barrier Reef a super weapon in their fight to defend the world-famous marine park. By Peter Strachan
Principal ranger for maritime operations at Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS), Craig Baddiley said the vessel is ideally suited to the work it does.
‘The marine park is a massive area to manage, extending for 2000 kilometres along the Queensland coast, up to 250 kilometres offshore and includes more than 1050 islands and 2900 individual reefs.
‘Reef Ranger, designed by Incat Crowther, came into service in June 2014 and is funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments, who jointly manage the park through the Field Management Program,’ Craig said.
‘When Reef Ranger was in development, rangers knew they needed a fast, multi-purpose vessel, with sleeping accommodation for 16.
‘It works for an average of 250 days at sea, clocking up in excess of 12,000 nautical miles each year, and carrying up to 28 day passengers and crew, or 16 crew on patrols that last up to 12 weeks at a time. ‘The Reef Ranger is a $5 million, 24-metre multipurpose vessel, capable of patrolling the 334,000 square kilometre park at speeds of up to 25 knots. 29
Working Boats April 2019
‘They also needed a boat capable of carrying, launching and retrieving a sixmetre compliance rigid hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) and carrying two additional six-metre tender vessels.’ The requirements also included storage for 1500 litres of petrol, as well as tanks to carry 12,000 litres of diesel to give the vessel a range of 750 nautical miles at 20 knots. The vessel also needed the ability to undertake diving operations and space for four tonnes of cargo.
To help minimise the carbon footprint on the reef, the Reef Ranger incorporates 8kW of solar panels to reduce emissions. Mr Baddiley said one of the main challenges facing the designers was incorporating the launching arrangement for the six-metre inflatable RHIB. ‘Reef Ranger’s design is based on a modified, but well-proven 24-metre aluminium catamaran hull,’ he said. ‘This allows the RHIB to be safely launched and retrieved while the vessel operates at 6–7 knots in seas of up to three-metres. ‘This has been hugely successful and has completely changed the way we manage the marine park. ‘We are no longer restricted to the extent we were and can now operate in most sea and weather conditions.
