The Port Authority of New South Wales has moved one of Sydney Harbour’s vital shipping radars to Darling Point.
The Authority created a buzz of activity over the Sydney skies in November 2017 when it removed the radar from the roof of the AMP Centre where it had been since 2011, but needed to be removed by crane because the building was being revamped and replaced.
On 12 November 2017, a helicopter was sent skywards to lift the equipment from the roof of the 188m building and carefully lower it to a truck waiting on the closed-off streets below.
After the equipment was given an essential maintenance makeover, it was taken to its new home in Darling Point, where it was quickly put back online to keep ships safe in the harbour.
The radar’s gearbox and electronics were given a thorough service and a specialist team that flew in from Denmark replaced its foil outer coating.
Port Authority of New South Wales uses its vital radar equipment to track the safe movement of commercial shipping in Sydney Harbour.
It’s part of a network of five radar stations around Sydney and Port Botany which are used by Port Authority’s Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) team and the Harbour Master to monitor which ships are coming in and out of the city’s ports.
Port Authority’s Port Botany-based Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) team will use the radar, alongside radio and video channels, to monitor the harbour and help ships navigate safely and efficiently to their destinations.
