By PAUL MILLAR
TROUBLED fishing trawler the Geelong Star has moved camp from Corio to Pt Henry’s Alcoa jetty.
Small Pelagic Fishing Industry Association’s Tim Powell said the ship had moved to a “lower-cost berth” for “minor maintenance work”.
The Independent can reveal that WorkSafe has made several visits to the ship.
A spokesman said WorkSafe “identified a number of health and safety matters, which have been resolved“.
But WorkSafe was “continuing to work with the ship’s management to help them reduce and, where possible, eliminate workplace health and safety risks“, he said.
The Geelong Star made national news when it killed dolphins during its first fishing operation. The ship’s dolphin-kill tally now stands at nine, with several seals also killed.
In May the Australian Fisheries Management Authority restricted the ship’s trawling operations to daylight to minimise the risk to dolphins.
Geelong harbourmaster Dilip Abraham confirmed that the factory freezer ship had moved berths for repairs.
Environmentalist and recreational anglers have slammed the use of the ship, which began trawling operations in Australian waters earlier this year after arriving from overseas.
It is now a close neighbour to another ship that is under the microscope of bay watchers.
The Queen of Melbourne has been in the bay for about four months with no indication when she will leave.
The former Norwegian ferry was brought to Australia with the intention of making it a party boat.
However, it has failed to secure a permanent berth and has been allowed to stay in local waters as lon g as it does not interfere with shipping.
