The Nelson Bay waterfront is now home to a state-of-the-art floating dock designed and built by Varley for Port Stephens Marine Rescue.
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The floating dock, worth more than $100,000, was delivered from Varley at Tomago where it was built within a month to d’Albora Marina on Tuesday where it was installed and will act as a muster station where crew members can base themselves, closer to rescue boats.
“This facility will greatly improve the boat operations efficiency and Marine Rescue crew health and safety for the Port Stephens unit,” Varley spokesman and Marine Rescue patron Bob Baldwin said.
Mr Baldwin helped the project by fundraising to cover its cost. Varley’s contribution to the project included a significant discount on the entire construction.
The dock weighs in at 2.7 tonne. It is approximately 6.3 metres long and 3.2m wide.
Four solar panels have been installed to charge batteries for the internal and external LED lights, ceiling fan and switch board that’s fitted with RCD’s in addition to a skylight.
Marine grade floor covering, desk, small bench for minor maintenance work and sufficient storage area to store spare parts, maintenance records, training and emergency equipment, crew lifejackets, and other safety equipment has been installed.
Wayne Moy, production manager at Varley, said the company was proud to have been able to create the floating dock for the volunteer rescue organisation.
“We have a social conscience here at Varley,” he said. “We take work from government contracts but we like to give back to the community. Doing this has been our way of contributing to the community.”