Media Room: Defence Alert

Defence
ALERT

New images of Defence support to Operation Sumatra Assist in Indonesia are now available at: http://www.defence.gov.au/optsunamiassist/gallery.htm

Vision of Australian Defence Force activities in support of Operation SUMATRA ASSIST will be fed to TV networks via the Press Gallery at Parliament House in Canberra at approximately 1645 today.

HMAS KANIMBLA arrived off the coast of Banda Aceh on Friday, 14 January and has since been busy offloading an Army engineering detachment using two Sea King helicopters and two large LCM8 landing craft.

The landing craft are capable of carrying 54 tons of cargo each and can deliver supplies directly ashore without the use of wharf facilities.

The Engineering detachment includes:

• 150 personnel
• Ten four-wheel-drive Unimog trucks
• Six Mack trucks
• Four bulldozers
• Three front end loaders
• Twelve Land Rovers; and
• Various other construction supplies

Defence personnel from Australia and New Zealand stopped work temporarily on Sunday, 16 January to observe one minute’s silence at 7:59AM local time (marking the time at which the devastating earthquake, that caused the tsunami, struck on Boxing Day).

• Landing craft from HMAS KANIMBLA disembark equipment and heavy vehicles at Banda Aceh.
• Engineers from the 1st Combat Engineering Regiment (1CER) commence repairing the main supply route for equipment coming off HMAS KANIMBLA.
• Lieutenant Colonel Georgeina Whelan, Commanding Officer of the Australian Army's 1st Health Support Battalion, at the ANZAC Field Hospital in Banda Aceh, addressing the troops prior to the one-minute silence.
• Australian and New Zealand Defence personnel observe one minute’s silence in honour of the victims of the tsunami.

Defence Media Liaison 0408 498 664

Issued by Ministerial Support and Public Affairs, Department of Defence,
Canberra, ACT
Phone: 02 6127 1999
Fax: 02 6265 6946
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