Port Hedland in Western Australia’s Pilbara region is at the heart of a multi-billion iron ore industry – which underpins the national economy. It is a major effort to get the ore to port, with the role of guiding the giant bulk ore carriers requiring the skills of highly trained marine pilots and the port is encouraging more women to take on the challenge.
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00:00More than 3,000 giant ships arrive off the coast of Port Hedland every year to collect
00:08and deliver the iron ore that makes this port one of the busiest in the world.
00:13And slow ahead, slow ahead, thank you.
00:16Guiding these giants requires specialist knowledge.
00:21The ABC was flown on a Pilbara Ports flight to witness a marine pilot bringing a 300 meter
00:26long bulk carrier into port.
00:29The pilot in essence is, manages the risk and channel integrity of the port and the
00:36port infrastructure.
00:37So I look at a pilot as like an insurance policy.
00:40With around 600 million tons of material passing through Port Hedland every year, the economic
00:45output is comparable to the entire economy of countries like Myanmar or Turkmenistan.
00:51It was the chance to join such a big operation that lured Mr. Ruxton from the port of London
00:55to WA's remote northwest.
00:58Everybody wants to drive the bigger ships and it's what I'm able to do here.
01:02Bringing him in was part of a new strategy to employ marine pilots directly rather than
01:06relying on contractors.
01:08COVID was really a reality check for us in terms of the reliability of bringing pilots
01:13to port.
01:14A lot of ours are based on the east coast.
01:16That caused a lot of problems.
01:18Marine pilot related delays at the port have come down about 60% and our aim is to get
01:22that essentially to zero.
01:24The port also wants to employ more women in this role.
01:27Only ten women are working as marine pilots in Australia.
01:30Two are in Port Hedland.
01:32Going to sea isn't the natural career path for women.
01:35It's very much more accepted now that you can go to sea, that you can have that full
01:40career path to master or to pilotage or in the port itself.
01:43A career path keeping Australia's iron ore powerhouse in ship shape.