- Alternative pathways to become a marine pilot at
the port of Port Hedland
- Providing learning and employment opportunities
in the Pilbara for women and youth
- Pilbara Ports' marine simulator is supporting
marine pilot training
A new employment program
at Western Australia's busiest bulk export port is creating a younger and more
diverse pool of talent to enter the highly specialised career of marine
pilotage.
Marine pilots provide an
essential service at Port Hedland by navigating big bulk iron ore carriers
safely in and out of the harbour.
The Pilbara Ports marine
pilotage employment program uses on-water training, simulators, prior
experience recognition, and technical competency assessments to improve
training efficiency - without compromising the high safety standards required
to pilot vessels through Port Hedland's waters.
Pilbara
Ports' pilotage team has grown to 16 pilots, with more jobs to come, as strong
economic conditions across the Pilbara, and projects like the Lumsden Point
development - supported by the Federal and State Government - increase demand
for port services.
Pilbara Ports partnered with North Regional TAFE to relocate
simulator equipment from its Broome campus, to the new Port Hedland facility,
including a replica ship bridge.
The new marine
simulation facility contains digital replicas of nine different ports,
providing a simulated training experience in a variety of vessels, as well as
different locations, weather conditions, currents, tides, and times of day.
On a visit to Pilbara
Port's new marine simulator facility in Port Hedland today, Ports Minister
David Michael put the equipment through its paces, under the watchful eye of
its recently formed internal team of marine pilots.
Pilbara Ports is also
improving diversity in the maritime industry, where women account for less than
two per cent of the global workforce.
A female marine pilot
recently joined Pilbara Ports, and is expected to be fully licensed early 2024,
with a second due to commence at the same time.
While retaining the
level of competency required, Pilbara Ports has developed alternative training
pathways for mariners coming from a variety of career backgrounds, who wish to
pursue a career in pilotage or other advanced maritime roles.
The marine pilotage
program addresses the short-to-medium term provision of marine pilotage services,
and builds on the existing Marine Cadetship Program, a long-term strategy to
provide young local adults with a career pathway into the maritime industry.
Comments attributed to Ports Minister David Michael:
"Visiting the Marine
Simulation Centre in Port Hedland today was a fantastic opportunity to
understand the complexity of navigating vessels in and out of the port of Port
Hedland.
"More than 3,000 vessels
visited the port of Port Hedland in 2022-23, transporting 566.5 million tonnes
of cargo - mainly iron ore.
"By implementing programs
such as these, Pilbara Ports is ensuring it continues to deliver economic
returns for the State, while also removing significant barriers to employment
in the maritime industry."
