At Pilbara Ports, safety is the core of every decision we make as the port authority for the world’s largest bulk export ports. We know that every vessel movement through Port Hedland’s 40-kilometre channel underpins Australia’s prosperity, with 573.6 million tonnes of throughput, worth an estimated $115.8 billion, passing through the Port in the past financial year alone.
On 7 February 2025, the FMG Nicola experienced a loss of main engine propulsion while transiting our busy shipping channel. This sudden failure immediately rendered the vessel’s steering ineffective, causing a loss of heading control and a drift towards the channel’s edge. An immediate emergency response by the vessel’s crew, a marine pilot team, and six tugs ensured the vessel was brought under control without grounding, injury, interruption to shipping, or environmental harm. The vessel was safely anchored for inspection and repairs, before continuing its journey under its own power.
This quick response reflects decades of preparation, lessons learnt and rigorous training. It also reflects Port Hedland’s greatest strength – its capacity for teamwork. Over a dozen different professions, contractors, licensees and port users are involved in transiting a ship through the Port Hedland channel. It is only through cooperation and a shared commitment to navigational safety, that Port Hedland is so extraordinarily productive.
Following the grounding of the Hagen Oldendorf in 2022, Pilbara Ports and port users have worked extensively to strengthen the port’s emergency response capability for engine and steering failures. Since then, we have expanded simulator and on water training for pilots and tug crews, strengthened escort towage standards, and introduced new controls such as mandatory emergency steering checks and CCTV monitoring of rudder operations. We have also mandated that vessel crews remain ready to manually operate emergency steering while under pilotage.
These measures work hand in hand with robust incident investigation and transparent reporting to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, and other relevant bodies. We are transparent with regulators, industry partners and our port community and balance that with commercial sensitivities of our customers’ operations.
Like all safety incidents, the FMG Nicola event is not a secret: an investigation was completed, and widely shared with port users and operations to promote continuous improvement. Pilbara Ports actively shares details of incidents that have occurred via its website, in port user forums, and at the annual Safe Ships Safe Ports Forum, which brings more than 500 people together from the maritime industry from all around the globe to openly discuss safe port operations.
Port Hedland’s single-entry shipping channel is constantly busy and impacted by a tidal swing of up to 7.4 metres. A channel blockage is a critical risk to the port and to the Australian economy, and mitigating it is the top priority for all port users. To that end, we are working with mining companies and other stakeholders to explore longer-term solutions, including dredging an additional bypass shipping channel to provide alternatives to the highest-risk areas.
Given the very nature of the rugged Pilbara region, navigating its challenging waters has been an inherent risk ever since Port Hedland was established as a port in the late 1800s. Every lesson learned over the years has always been taken as an opportunity to refine our systems and strengthen our operations. Indeed, since 2021, Pilbara Ports has managed 823 incidents across our ports – from engine failures, to equipment defects and gangway faults. With an incident occurring every two days on average, the reality of managing one of the world’s busiest bulk export gateways, is that we manage safety challenges every day. That’s why we work closely with our port users, regularly issuing marine safety bulletins to share knowledge that helps prevent future incidents.
A key part of our commitment is our new hybrid marine pilotage model. By directly employing a core team of highly trained marine pilots and supporting them with specialist contractors, Pilbara Ports ensures that expert pilotage services are always available to guide vessels safely through the port’s complex channel.
This approach has already reduced shipping delays, improved reliability, and increased capacity – critical gains for Australia’s export supply chain. Just as importantly, it has strengthened local capability and resilience, ensuring that any vessel needing assistance, like the FMG Nicola, can rely on immediate, expert support when it matters most.
We always welcome the spotlight turning to our ports, as despite their immense contribution to our nation, they run largely out of sight and out of mind. For though, the passionate people who work in our port and live in our community, the port and its safe, continuous operation is everything. When news media articles express surprise at marine operations – and even alarm at what we live, breathe and work hard each day to safely deliver – it only reminds us of the importance of our work, and redoubles our commitment to do it well.
Captain Philip Christy Executive General Manager Marine Pilbara Ports