Operations at the Australian small seaport of Eden have been impacted by the major bush fires raging across the South Coast region of New South Wales, threatening the area.
Two passenger ships that were scheduled to call at the port over the past week canceled their visits as they sought to minimize the risk to their passengers’ safety, GAC Australia said.
Port of Eden is the southernmost deepwater harbor in NSW and is situated equidistant between Sydney and Melbourne.
The port hosts three wharves: a privately owned woodchip terminal, multi-user Navy wharfs, and the breakwater wharf. The major users of the port are the Royal Australian Navy, wood chippers, cargo ships for logs and cruise ships.
Based on the latest updates, woodchip stockpiles at the woodchip mill in Eden plus the logs for export are reported to be on fire.
Allied Natural Wood Exports (ANWE), a wood products export marketing and logistics company, said it suffered considerable fire damage to its wood chip export facility located at Two-Fold Bay in Eden, in the early hours of Sunday the 5th January.
“The full extent of the damage to the stock and equipment will be assessed once the fire threat has eased and plans are being put in place for temporary and permanent resumption of operations.
“ANWE remains committed to resuming normal operations but also to its previous commitment of investing in a sawmill and briquette plant at the Eden site and in doing so bring further opportunities to the people of the region,” ANWE said.
Meanwhile, the Royal Australian Navy has been busy with response efforts to the affected areas in Australia, helping evacuate thousands of residents to safety.
The Royal Australian Navy’s largest ship, Landing Helicopter Dock HMAS Adelaide has joined HMAS Choules and MV Sycamorein support of Operation BUSHFIRE ASSIST 19-20.