The city of Brisbane, capital of Queensland and Australia’s third most populous city, will host Dockwise Yacht Transport’s (DYT) 556´ ship Super Servant 4 with open arms this month when this 169.49m electric orange semi-submersible vessel berths at Fisherman’s Island Terminal to unload a cargo of yachts totaling approximately US $35 million.
DYT´s bright orange semi-submersible ship, Super Servant 4, picks up yachts in Golfito, Costa Rica before heading to Brisbane, Australia. Photo credit: Onne van der Wal
It has been more than a year since the ship’s last trip here was diverted to Sydney due to extreme flooding that devastated Brisbane and many other Queensland locations. Jason Roberts, President of Aurora Global Logistics and DYT’s exclusive commercial agent for Australia, sees the ship’s return as proof positive of the rebounding yacht manufacturing and boat transport industries as well as the cruising market that Brisbane so well serves in the South Pacific.
“Brisbane is in the process of rebuilding,” said Roberts, explaining that when the Brisbane River’s riverbanks broke last January, an overflow level of 4.45 meters (14.6 feet) was reached, and approximately 20,000 houses were flooded.
“At the same time, the Australian economy has survived the global downturn to be quite strong, and this DYT voyage adds momentum to both of those things. We are excited for this voyage as well as many more to come in the future.”
Super Servant 4 coasts through the Panama Canal after a stopover in Golfito, Costa Rica before beginning its voyage to Brisbane, Australia. Photo credit: Onne van der Wal
Roberts added that Brisbane’s location halfway between Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef make it a perfect drop point for DYT, which operates on a regular schedule to deliver private yachts and charter boats to prime cruising destinations around the world.
Looking something like a giant moving marina when it comes to town, the Super Servant 4, once docked will submerge itself by pumping nine million gallons of water into its ballast tanks. After scuba divers remove sea-fasteners from each yacht, captains, owners and/or crews will be free to disembark under their own power and be off to new adventures.
Super Servant 4 departed Palma de Mallorca (Spain) in December 2011 and will have made stops in Martinique (France), Port Everglades (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida), and Golfito (Costa Rica) before arriving in Brisbane. From Brisbane, it will head to Auckland (New Zealand) and return to Port Everglades before heading to Toulon (France) in early April.
DYT’s second “float-on/float-off” voyage to the South Pacific this year will begin in Palma de Mallorca in November, with stops in Martinique, Port Everglades, Golfito, Brisbane, and Auckland, and return to Port Everglades and the Mediterranean in spring 2013.
