FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S DESK
A successful Sydney-Hobart Boxing Day Race and safe New Year’s Eve celebrations on Sydney Harbour saw NSW Maritime sail smoothly into 2008. My thanks go to the staff of NSW Maritime for their commitment to ensuring that thousands of boaters enjoyed a 2007 festive season to remember.
The staging of major aquatic events on Sydney Harbour always requires immense planning and preparation. From swimming and sailing events to fireworks and concerts on the water, NSW Maritime’s prime concern is in ensuring the best possible level of public safety and maintaining an almost unblemished safety track record.
However, the hard work and achievement of our staff is not just limited to aquatic events – last year was a strong year for the organisation and one which saw a lot of progress for NSW Maritime.
During 2007, our maturing relationships with the ports continued to develop. Much work was done with studies and a taskforce in support of the Minister’s drive for greater efficiencies on the landside of ports – stevedoring and the transport logistics chains. Important work was completed at Newcastle to facilitate the dredging that is necessary for the expansion of the port and the construction of a new coal loader.
The working relationships with the ports were clearly evident in the salvage of the Pasha Bulker and the work done to prevent any oil pollution. Many NSW Maritime staff made a significant contribution to this effort.
NSW Maritime is now in a better position than ever to offer an improved product to our property lessees with the recent introduction of Permission to Lodge (Land Owners Consent), Domestic Lease policies and Commercial Lease policies.
The long awaited approvals for the slipway and boat storage facility within the Rozelle Bay Maritime Precinct are now in place. The construction of the slipway is proceeding rapidly and work is expected to begin on boats on the site by the middle of this year. The repositioning of the James Craig Road is complete and the site is now ready for the boat storage facility.
Besides providing the land, NSW Maritime has done a lot of work in the past year as an advocate of these projects to help them get started.
A major milestone was achieved in the introduction of National Standards for Commercial Vessels. The approved standards will be enacted in each State on 1 October 2008 and NSW Maritime staff played an important role in facilitating this very important achievement. Great progress has also been made in many other areas. NSW Maritime is close to finalising the receipt of ownership for the 50 commuter wharves on Sydney Harbour. The maintenance and capital program from these facilities is already underway and is extremely important in providing better access and amenity for our waterways. As we look to the year ahead I wish everyone the best for a great 2008.
January 2008
