First ship into BICT

[woodscruise]

Brisbane International Cruise Terminal has received its first call - but sadly, it was not a cruise ship. The Australian Navy’s Choules docked in Brisbane just before midday on Fri, and left yesterday. The first ship into the $177 million cruise terminal should have been P&O Cruises Australia’s Pacific Dawn, which was originally scheduled to call on 03 Oct 2020. Instead of arriving to rapturous fanfare, Choules docked to only a small handful of onlookers, including a few family members and a number of slightly bemused security guards. Speaking of the reception, those there to collect their family members were quizzed on the new terminal. “Yes, it’s quite okay,” one patron told The Brisbane Times. “I didn’t even know it was here.” 

 

Reported in Cruise Weekly 02Sep21 

[Chiliburn]

1 hour ago, woodscruise said:

Brisbane International Cruise Terminal has received its first call - but sadly, it was not a cruise ship. The Australian Navy’s Choules docked in Brisbane just before midday on Fri, and left yesterday. The first ship into the $177 million cruise terminal should have been P&O Cruises Australia’s Pacific Dawn, which was originally scheduled to call on 03 Oct 2020. Instead of arriving to rapturous fanfare, Choules docked to only a small handful of onlookers, including a few family members and a number of slightly bemused security guards. Speaking of the reception, those there to collect their family members were quizzed on the new terminal. “Yes, it’s quite okay,” one patron told The Brisbane Times. “I didn’t even know it was here.” 

 

Reported in Cruise Weekly 02Sep21 

One of the locals didn’t know it was a cruise terminal and thought it was a extension of the sewage plant.

[gbenjo]

44 minutes ago, Chiliburn said:

One of the locals didn’t know it was a cruise terminal and thought it was a extension of the sewage plant.

Why would you feel the need to make such a stupid baseless comment as that?

[Ondine]

HMAS Choules was the ship which rescued hundreds of people and animals from Mallacoota beach during the Victorian bushfires.

[Chiliburn]

53 minutes ago, gbenjo said:

Why would you feel the need to make such a stupid baseless comment as that?

To get the attention of stupid baseless people Graham.

It work didnt it?

[Chiliburn]

3 minutes ago, Ondine said:

HMAS Choules was the ship which rescued hundreds of people and animals from Mallacoota beach during the Victorian bushfires.

It’s good it has another use.

[possum52]

26 minutes ago, Chiliburn said:

It’s good it has another use.

As well as evacuating people and animals from Mallacoota in Janauary 2020 and delivering fuel and supplies to the town as Ondine said above,  HMAS Choules was used in recovery operations during Cyclone Debbie and also helped rescue people in Vanuatu after a volcano errupted in 20217.

 

Mallacoota is now her ceremonial home.

 

HMAS Choules

HMAS Choules is a highly operational 16,000 tonne ship, 176 metres long, 24 metres wide, and capable of carrying over 300 troops, 23 Abrams tanks, 150 light Trucks, LCVP, Landing Craft Mechanised (LCM8) and is also capable of operating Navy helicopters including the MRH-90 Taipan and MH-60R Seahawk and the Australian Army’s S-70A Black Hawk. Choules is an amphibious Landing Ship Dock which originally served with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Choules was commissioned by the Royal Australian Navy in December 2011.

[gbenjo]

38 minutes ago, Chiliburn said:

To get the attention of stupid baseless people Graham.

It work didnt it?

No, I was looking for meaningful intelligent conversation about cruising when I came across your rubbish.(again)

Better to say nothing and be taken for a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.

[Chiliburn]

37 minutes ago, gbenjo said:

No, I was looking for meaningful intelligent conversation about cruising when I came across your rubbish.(again)

Better to say nothing and be taken for a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.

Graham I’ve been having flash backs of that accident when I was 14, you know the one .

Thats not a problem as it happens regularly but the problem is you are in the dream lately.

[gbenjo]

2 hours ago, Chiliburn said:

Graham I’ve been having flash backs of that accident when I was 14, you know the one .

Thats not a problem as it happens regularly but the problem is you are in the dream lately.

Another example of your rubbish

[MicCanberra]

Hmas Choules is named for a friends grandfather.

He was the last surviving military witness to the scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow in 1919 and the last surviving veteran to have served in both world wars. At the time of his death, he was the third-oldest verified military veteran in the world and the oldest known living man in Australia 

[SinbadThePorter]

The BICT is currently being used as a vaccination centre.

 

I went down to have a look.

 

 

 

There was an oil products tanker (I assume petrol) offloading to the pipeline leading to the storage tanks on Bulwer Island. This picture was taken from the same spot as the next one. So no smoking while boarding!

 

 

Across the river is the Port of Brisbane, where the big ships used to dock at the Grain Terminal.

 

 

This is the side view from the main carpark.

 

 

The main entrance, which was closed. The vaccination centre was around the side.