Royal Australian Navy (RAN) frigate HMAS Parramatta has taken part in a refueling trial at the Gore Bay facility in Sydney Harbour, one of Australia’s oldest fuel import and storage facilities.
As informed, the event marked the first time since 1901 that a warship, other than navy tankers HMA Ships Westralia in 1993 and Sirius in 2017, had been refueled at the site.
Captain John Metzl , Director Fuel Operations, said the operation took months of planning and collaboration with partner commercial fueling company Viva Energy Australia.
Lieutenant Sameera Weerawarna Nilaweera , Deputy Marine Engineering Officer HMAS Parramatta, was in charge of refueling from the shipborne side of the operation and monitored the overall effectiveness of the supplier.
“Ultimately, we were able to transfer 120,000 litres of marine diesel in about three hours,” she said.
With the current RAN strategic outlook increasingly task group focused, it is expected that many ships returning to port at the same time will soon become a common procedure. Additional facilities and services including the Gore Bay refueling port are required to enable the increase in demand for resupply. This has further benefits for ships’ crews, ensuring that personnel are released to port for rest and rejuvenation as soon as possible, according to the navy.
Photo & Video: Royal Australian Navy