HMAS Kanimbla searches for land-access point

By Lt Fenn Kemp - filed 14 January 2005

The task of navigating HMAS Kanimbla as close to the coast of Aceh as possible to off-load much-needed engineering equipment and supplies has proven to be a difficult task.

Kanimbla's Navigational Safety Officer Lieutenant Commander Darren Mullins said there had been reports of island shifts of up to 35m, and current satellite imagery indicating coastal changes of a few hundred metres as a result of the tsunami.

"Where we could previously rely upon charts for navigational safety, this was no longer the case," he said.

"We had to ure on the side of caution. We went out ahead of the ship when we got close to the coast to ensure the depth we needed was there."

Commanding Officer of HMAS Kanimbla Commander Stephen Woodall said reports about the access road between the port and Banda Aceh, indicated that it was damaged.

"There has only been some very rudimentary repairs done to some of the damaged bridges along that access road, so we can't use the port facilities," he said.

"What we're trying to do is to get our vehicles on the landing craft and land as close as we can to the area where they are needed.

"That's proving more challenging than people might initially think."