- New fisheries Patrol Vessel (PV) Equinox to focus on fisheries compliance, marine park management and bird flu surveillance across the Kimberley
- PV Equinox built by Geraldton boat builder Dongara Marine
- Cook Labor Government's $13.7 million investment supporting fisheries, biosecurity and local manufacturing
- Cook Labor Government continuing to strengthen WA's H5 bird flu preparedness
A new modern fisheries patrol vessel will be operational later this month to help protect the sustainability of Western Australia's northern fisheries and strengthen bird flu surveillance across the State's remote northern coastline.
Patrol Vessel (PV) Equinox, built by Dongara Marine, will be based out of Broome and patrol northern waters across the Kimberely with a focus on commercial and recreational fisheries compliance and marine park management.
The vessel will also provide an important additional capability for monitoring remote islands, coastal areas and wildlife populations across northern Western Australia.
PV Equinox will support the Cook Labor Government's co-ordinated bird flu response by helping surveillance teams access remote locations, investigate reports and monitor areas that can be difficult to reach from land.
The vessel will assist with other core activities in collaboration with State and Commonwealth agencies, including marine safety, sea search and rescue, shark incident response, whale disentanglement and illegal foreign fishing interception.
The Cook Labor Government invested $13.7 million into the project to replace the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development's ageing PV Walcott.
Having a fit-for-purpose fleet of research and patrol vessels is vital to support the sustainability of the WA fishing industry and the State's Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, while also giving the State greater capacity to respond to emerging biosecurity threats.
The new 24m patrol vessel has a longer fuel range to allow for extended voyages of up to 14 days, a more efficient hull design with twin keels to provide improved stability and reduced roll and low engine emissions.
Its extended range will be particularly valuable in northern WA, where surveillance teams may need to travel significant distances to monitor remote coastal and island wildlife populations.
The vessel is equipped with the latest navigation equipment and infra-red night vision to support search and rescue and night-time patrols and has a 5.5m tender to conduct inspections and boardings at sea.
There are also improved living conditions with accommodation for 10 people.
Investment in the new PV Equinox is part of the Cook Labor Government's commitment to making more things here in WA. The new vessel will also help protect Western Australia's unique biosecurity and strengthen our response to bird flu.
As stated by Fisheries and Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis:
"We are continuing to strengthen our preparedness for bird flu, with early detection and enhanced surveillance critical to understanding and responding to this evolving threat.
"PV Equinox will give our fisheries officers a modern, fit-for-purpose vessel to patrol some of the most remote waters in Western Australia.
"Built by local boat builder Dongara Marine, the new patrol vessel is another great example of the Cook Labor Government investing in local manufacturing to support jobs and growth across regional WA.
"This $13.7 million investment is about giving our frontline officers the equipment they need, while supporting local manufacturing and ensuring we are ready to respond to emerging threats across our northern waters."
As stated by the Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn:
"Western Australia's north is home to internationally significant wildlife and some of our most remote and environmentally important coastal areas.
"We know bird flu can have devastating consequences for wildlife, so expanding our ability to detect and understand its spread will help us make informed decisions about how best to protect vulnerable native species."
As stated by Kimberley MLA Divina D'Anna:
"Having the PV Equinox patrolling marine parks across the Kimberley will help protect our beautiful coastline.
"This is a great investment for the Kimberley, giving fisheries officers the modern equipment they need to respond to emerging threats and look after the waters and wildlife that are so important to our communities."
