Australia's Antarctic Icebreaker Faces Refueling Issues

The Nuyina is a ship.

It is Friday, June 5, 2026, at 5:18 am.

The Nuyina must take a detour to refuel.

The Australian government spent $528 million on the Nuyina.

The harbourmaster did not allow the Nuyina to pass under the Tasman Bridge.

The Nuyina now sails to Burnie to refuel.

The detour adds almost $900,000 to the ship's fuel bill.

There is still no solution.

The Tasmanian government promised to find a solution by next month.

The Nuyina's home port is Hobart, but it cannot access the city's fuel depot.

The problem is not the ship's size.

The ship is 35 meters wide.

The bridge has enough space for the ship to pass.

The ship has enough headroom to get under the bridge.

The problem is directional stability.

A bulk carrier crashed into the bridge in 1975.

Ships of a certain size need approval to pass under the bridge.

The harbourmaster decided the risk was not worth it.

Computer simulations showed the Nuyina would crash into the bridge.

The virtual ship crashed into the bridge four times.

The ship would have hit the bridge 10 more times if the simulation wasn't stopped.

The Nuyina's hull and surface area affect its stability.

The marine fuel depot is at Selfs Point.

Tugboats could be used to escort the ship.

But the harbourmaster found this was not a viable option.

The report stated that using tugboats would be dangerous.

A fuel pipeline could solve the issue.

The fuel depot is 4 kilometers from the Nuyina's home port.

But laying a fuel line would introduce serious risks.

TasWater says the trench is not wide enough for both lines.

The harbourmaster has not given the Nuyina permission to pass under the bridge.

Road tankers could be used to refuel the ship.

The Nuyina needs a lot of fuel.

The ship needs 4.2 million liters of fuel to spend 90 days at sea.

A federal department says the proposed solution is not acceptable.

The ship can carry an additional 1.9 million liters of cargo fuel.

A report said 64 road tankers would be required to fill up the Nuyina's tanks.

Road tankers are not a viable option for a major refuel.

It would be quicker to go to Burnie.

The Tasmanian government is considering three possible solutions.

The first option is a fuel barge, but it would be expensive.

The second option is a fuel storage facility, but it won't be ready until 2028.

The third option is to allow the Nuyina to pass under the bridge.

But this would require the harbourmaster's approval.

The Nuyina will continue to refuel at Burnie for at least the next 12 months.

More news from Tasmania.

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It is Friday, June 5, 2026, at 5:18 am.

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