ON THE RADAR
Ministerial visit to Yamba Welding and Engineering Locally made boats for local conditions
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t the start of May, Minister for Emergency Services, Resilience and Flood Recovery, Steph Cooke, inspected the shipyard of Yamba Welding and Engineering on the New South Wales North Coast, where two new rescue vessels for Marine Rescue NSW worth $986,000 were under construction. Minister Cooke was accompanied on her visit by Marine Rescue NSW Deputy Commissioner Alex Barrell, Manager Fleet Kelvin Parkin, and Yamba Welding and Engineering General Manager and Head of Technical Operations Jamie Howden. Once completed, the two vessels, for Marine Rescue Broken Bay and Marine Rescue Botany Port Hacking, will bring the number of vessels delivered by Yamba Welding and Engineering for Marine Rescue NSW to 19, with several more in the planning stage. To date, $10.59 million has been expended on rescue vessels, with the bulk of this in regional New South Wales, supporting skilled jobs, and providing opportunities for youth through a range of traineeships and apprenticeships. While inspecting the vessels under construction, Minister Cooke tried her hand at welding, and was
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Minister Cooke tries her hand at welding. Photo: Marg Deguara.
said. “Each boat is designed to meet local conditions and the specific needs of the Marine Rescue NSW unit receiving the vessel and is delivering faster, safer and more responsive rescue vessels able to reach the scene of an emergency more quickly and in a wider range of weather and sea conditions.”
Each boat is designed to meet local conditions and the specific needs of the Marine Rescue NSW unit
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highly impressed at the scale and professionalism of the construction process. “The strong partnership between Marine Rescue NSW and Yamba Welding and Engineering is delivering state of the art rescue vessels equal to those produced anywhere in the world,” Ms Cooke
After her visit to Yamba Welding and Engineering, Minister Cooke met with volunteers from the nearby Marine Rescue Iluka Yamba unit, and rounded off her visit by heading out on the water aboard rescue vessel Iluka Yamba 30 where she proved a steady hand at the wheel of the vessel.
Minister Cooke at the helm of Iluka Yamba 30. SOUNDINGS | MARINE RESCUE NSW
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