Gippsland Ports, Gippsland Lakes, Corner Inlet, Ports and Harbours, Mallacoota

April Hamer History

The April Hamer was designed by an Australian Company, Eken & Doherty P/L of Sydney on behalf of Carrington Slipways, Newcastle Australia, loosely based on a Mississippi bar boat design to give shallow draft capabilities with twin propellers and twin rudders to give it high manoeuvrability. Although the design did not strictly comply with the tender, Carrington Slipways were awarded the contract issued by the Victorian Public Works Department in 1975, completing the project at its Newcastle base in 1976 for a price of $3.5 million.

Built as an ocean going dredger it was originally intended for use around the Victorian coastline and was equipped for over the side pumping for beach renourishment. It worked in Lakes Entrance for three months in 1976 and then moved on to Port Phillip Bay. Due to the dramatic improvement in Lakes Entrance while it was there, and the deterioration after it left, considerable pressure was applied to have the vessel permanently stationed at Lakes Entrance.

This move was successful and the April Hamer has been stationed at Lakes Entrance since 1977 apart from minor periods while away for refit, dredging of adjacent ports or short term contracts.

Operation

The April Hamer operates two trailing suction arms that suck up the material from the sea bed and pumps it out of the boom that can be swung out either side. The material is shifted across 24 metres and by repeating this operation it clears a channel. The maximum depth it can dredge to is six metres and it moves material at the rate of 600 cubic metres per hour. The Lakes Entrance channel is maintained at 3 metres deep by 80 metres wide.

Working Roster

The working day is a 9 day fortnight working the equivalent of 76 hours regardless of public holidays. Of the 1976 hours available throughout the year, over 70% of this time is spent dredging the Lakes Entrance bar and lakes systems. When sea conditions are too rough for dredging, maintenance work is undertaken.

Crew

Master; Mate; Bosun; Chief Engineer; First Engineer; 1 General Purpose Seamen.

Costs

Average annual operating costs for the April Hamer is approximately $1.2m

General

Size

Motors

2 - Caterpillar 8 cyl D379 Diesel engines developing 500 hp at 1000 rpm.

2 - Caterpillar 3306 Diesel engines driving two 125 kva generators.

Dredge Equipment

2 - Warman 406/457 mm gravel pumps discharging 600 cubic metres of sand per hour through a 600 mm diameter boom. The sand at Lakes Entrance has a specific gravity of 2.6 tonnes/cubic

^Back to Top