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A safe link between ports The Spirit of Kangaroo Island : docked at Penneshaw. Opposite page: (clockwise) The ferry as it crosses Backstairs Passage; Aerial view of The Spirit of Kangaroo Island; Trucks carrying dangerous goods are loaded according to strict procedure. Images supplied by SeaLink.
Correspondent Peter Strachan spoke to Sealink’s National Marine Training and Compliance Manager Chris Ha, about managing safety on the company’s combined freight and passenger ferry services between Cape Jervis, south of Adelaide and Penneshaw, on the east side of Kangaroo Island. Although Adelaide-based, SeaLink is well known around Australia for its tourism and transport services. SeaLink has been operating the service to Kangaroo Island for more than 30 years, making up to 12 crossings of Backstairs Passage each day. SeaLink’s charter between the mainland and Kangaroo Island includes approval to transport unleaded and diesel fuels, LPG and sometimes even explosives—along with up to 244 passengers—to the picturesque tourist island aboard the luxury 2055-tonne Spirit of Kangaroo Island. Overseeing the rigid safety standards involved is all in a day’s work for Chris. 25
Working Boats July 2019
‘Spirit of Kangaroo Island is a dangerous goods vessel that fully complies with all the required standards for the work it does,’ Chris said. ‘Everything from the best of fire monitors, foam applications and extinguishers, to fire-resistant walls around the upper deck and fire-rated walls and doors, make it something any operator would be proud of.’ Fuel and other freight is normally loaded onto the vessel from the Cape Jervis ramp on the mainland, but on some occasions the ramp at Penneshaw is used. The fuel is brought on board in highly regulated road tankers, typically of about 50,000 litre capacity. They are moved into position by their drivers working under close supervision of the crew.
Both passengers and freight are loaded at the same time and strict procedures are in place to minimise risk. ‘All procedures on a domestic vessel must be risk assessed but practical, so that the task can always be completed safely,’ Chris said. ‘When we carry dangerous goods, we follow strict procedures that are supported by competency-based training. This ensures our crew is prepared for any emergency.’ ‘When transporting fuel, the truck driver always comes with the truck so that they can monitor the overall safety of the fuel during transport.' ‘The driver is trained in the handling of the specific goods being carried and is
