Ocean Research - 14. IOR Chapter 14

“Sorry to interrupt your rest break my friend, but Captain Amanda has requested a meeting, to organise when we will be doing supply runs to the mainland each week,” Joshua said after knocking on the door and entering my cabin. “That is ok, can I leave that up to you to arrange, I need to start working on getting a research schedule organised,” I replied, and Joshua nodded his head before leaving.

After two days of offloading all of the equipment and supplies, the barge made it’s rather slow 6-hour journey back to the mainland, where it will reload and return in five days’ time, bringing with it a large supply of gravel to be used for the extension of the runway.

The whole project of extending and sealing the runway took nearly eight weeks to complete, with poor weather delaying the process on two occasions.

Now with a 850 metre runway, plus a parking apron for up to six small aircraft, and a small terminal, that contains an entry foyer, plus disabled, male and female bathrooms and a waiting lounge, with seating for 40 people, a meeting room and adjoining staff lounge with a small kitchenette, as well as a solar power station, that controls the lighting for the terminal and the runway lights, and a storage garage, with this will now to be the main airport for the Abrolhos Islands.

A narrow sealed track has also been made to provide a road link from the air terminal to the main jetty which is a distance of 520 metres, and in the last delivery of the supply barge, came two six-seater golf buggies and two quad bikes with trailers, of which the buggies will be stored in the garage at the terminal.

The next project would be the repair of the fish holding shed, another solar power station and a storage garage, where the two quad bikes and trailers will be stored.

The Silver Cloud would be taking the building crew back to the mainland, and picking up a separate building crew the next day, to begin work at the fish-holding shed, with the catering team staying on for this second project, but they travelled back to the mainland for 18 hours of R & R, before returning to the Abrolhos Islands.

This new project would only take three weeks to complete, and the supply barge would make its way back to Rat Island on the same morning that the Silver Cloud travels with the new crew. While on the mainland, we received news that Austal had a Tri-Swath Catamaran, ready for delivery if we wanted it, and Joshua said yes straight away, and we were told that it would be delivered to the Islands in 14 days’ time.

With it now being mid-July, Joshua and I were starting to wonder how the progress of the temporary fishing village was going, since we now only have 3 ½ months before the start of the new cray fishing season, which doesn’t leave much time for a permanent team to get settled and iron out any kinks in the new complex.

With the Tri-Hull Swath soon to be delivered, I flew down to Perth to complete my training and exams to upgrade my master qualifications, leaving Joshua to manage everything until my return, and Joshua made sure that I stayed at one of the best hotels and was well looked after, and I made sure to call him every second or third day, to check in to see how things are going on the islands.

With three air charter companies based in Geraldton, who are authorised to land on the islands and show tourist around, they were now using the new sealed Rat Island airfield more often, because of its extended length and it being sealed, making it much easier and safer for landing and taking off again, as well as having the small air terminal, with up to 6 arrivals and departures each day.

When I arrived back at the hotel mid-way through the second week on the mainland, the reception staff on duty informed me that there was a message for me, which I was not expecting. “Kipling, please meet me for dinner in the hotel restaurant at 7 pm. Not a word of this to my grandson. Regards H.T Lloyd”.

I was shocked at reading this and I walked back to the reception desk. “Is Mr Lloyd staying at this hotel?” I asked, “Yes sir, he arrived this morning and is in an executive suite on the same floor as you,” the receptionist replied, and I nodded my understanding and headed for the elevators, after noticing that I had just over an hour to get ready.

Having spent most of the day doing ocean survival and rescue training, I was still covered in seawater, so I needed a long hot freshwater shower, I had not brought a business suit with me so I had to wear the best casual clothes that I had with me, and I entered the restaurant fifteen-minutes early, only to find that Mr Lloyd had already arrived, and he motioned for me to join him at his table.

“Good evening Kipling, do you wish to order a drink?” Mr Lloyd said to me when I arrived at the table, “Good evening sir, just fruit juice please, I have been bobbing around in rescue boats and underwater rescue devices all day, so I am not up to anything stronger,” I replied.

A bit different than being onboard the Aquaria then?” Mr Lloyd asked which made me laugh, “A lot different sir, at least your submarine is a lot safer,” I responded. “Very true, now let’s order our meals, then we can get down to business,” Mr Lloyd said as he signalled a waiter.

A few minutes after a bit of general chat, about Wake Island and the other islands that Lloyd Corporation owns or leases, and the fleet of submarines that the Corporation owns that patrol the world oceans, Mr Lloyd went silent for a few moments.

“Sir, I am not sure if this is relevant, but about a month ago, your grandson, Joshua informed me that he had this strange feeling in his stomach, which usually meant that you, his grandfather, was about to announce a major project,” I stated, and Mr Lloyd laughed.

“Well he is spot on with his gut feeling, I do indeed have a major announcement, which I want to run by you first, as you will be an instrumental part of this,” Mr Lloyd said, “…ok, please continue,” I replied, sounding partly concerned and partly worried.

“Don’t worry, it is all good, and it will make a huge difference to how things are run in the Abrolhos Islands, just like the new airfield runway and terminal have already started to make an impact. What I am about to tell you, is known only to a handful of people in Australia.

Apart from Joshua’s step-father and mother, only the WA Premier, the Deputy-Premier, who is also the Environment Minister, and the Directors of the WA Departments of Environment, Parks & Wildlife and Fisheries are in the know of what I am about to tell you,” Mr Lloyd said to me, and he paused as the waiter arrived with our entrées and once he was out of hearing distance, Mr Lloyd continued.

For the past six years, I have been working on a new top-secret project, far bigger than the construction of the Aquaria, and as it happens, it is completed and is now in transit from its place of construction,” Mr Lloyd announced.

I have decided to make the home of this new project, the Abrolhos Islands, which will provide not only accommodation for the seasonal fishermen but also a base for marine research, and also hotel accommodation for tourists, with a team of permanent staff to manage the place,” Mr Lloyd announced.

“This sounds very intriguing sir, and by the sounds of it, the project must be quite large,” I responded. “Yes, it is indeed quite large, so when you return to the Abrolhos Islands once you have completed your training, I need you to find a sheltered location, that is not deeper or no shallower than ten metres, with room to allow for a cargo ship to get in to offload the project without the risk of hitting any reefs or bottoming out on the ocean floor,” Mr Lloyd said.

“How big exactly is this… this project sir?” I asked, “A very good question. The building itself is 100 metres in diameter, with a total of six levels, standing 25 metres high, of which two levels are completely underwater and the next level is partly submerged.

This semi-floating ocean city is totally self-sustaining, with solar and wind turbine power supply, freshwater desalination plant, a waste treatment plant, and it will have an Executive Team of five people, of which four of you are already there. The permanent staff will consist of 16 senior team members and 26 support team members, making a total of 47 permanent staff.

On the lowest level, there is a Shopping Mall that includes a grocery store, a bakery, a newsagency and post office, and a few other smaller shops. There is also a Movie Cinema, 24 Double Hotel Suites, a Café & Kitchens, two central lounges and the Marine Science Centre.

The next level up – level five, has 28 double hotel suites and 6 family suites, the ocean restaurant and kitchens, fitness gym, a laundry, the library & education centre, and the large ocean lounge.

On the sea level deck – level four, there are two entry foyers, with an information office and an accommodation office, there are also two full-size basketball courts, four large separate landscaped gardens, plus a smaller central garden and a netted swimming pool with change-rooms, also at one end of this level is the desalination plant, power station, waste treatment plant, and finally the complex security office.

Just out from the entry foyers, are the East and West jetties, with each one containing, nine, double fishing boat mooring bays, as well as two catamaran size bays. One will be reserved for the Silver Cloud, the other will be for your new Swath Cat, while the remaining two bays on the other side will be kept aside for visiting catamarans.

At the end of these two jetties are the two main loading jetties, for loading and unloading supplies arriving or leaving the Ocean City. While most of the levels are three metres in height, the sea level deck is 4 metres high, also between this level and the next one up, there is a safety net, covering the whole internal area, which is all open with the building consisting of a series of octagon shapes, joined together, creating a large sheltered semi-outdoor space.

The next level up – level three, consists of the complex staff accommodation, with single and double suites, that are just as spacious but have hard-wearing furniture, and mostly hard floors, with some heavy-duty carpets, so as to reduce the problem of spills and grease and other marks. This level also contains the Sky café and kitchen, the Sky recreation lounge, the medical centre and the 4-twin bed and 2 single bed hospital wards.

On level two, there is the Seasonal Fishers accommodation, with 32 double cabins with private ensuite and 32 single cabins with twin share bathrooms. This accommodation would be made available for tourists once they have returned to the mainland at the end of each season. This level also has a recreation centre, a medium-sized lounge, dining room and kitchen, and a laundry.

The top-level – level one, has the best views of everyone in the complex, this has the executive suites for you and Joshua, plus an executive guest suite and lounge, the complex administration, with you each having big offices, and a board room, and in the centre is the Sky restaurant and kitchens, while at the other end there are the 5 government offices and 6 government suites and lounge.

Finally, on the roof of this level, is a raised helicopter landing pad, and on the south side overlooking this is the Air traffic control and weather station,” Mr Lloyd explained. “Holy hell sir, that sounds like a huge place, and you say it took size years to build?” I said in shock.

“That is right, mostly because most of the complex is made of Titanium, which is lighter, stronger and less corrosive than steel, so it is ideal for this project's location. Once the complex arrives at the Abrolhos and it put together, it will not be long before news gets out about its existence, so I am getting you the advanced warning, as I need your assistance to find a suitable location for it,” Mr Lloyd said to me.

“I think I know of a very good place, and it is located just south-east of Rat Island, and just north of Morley Island, and there is a long stretch of surface reefs plus Suomi Island to the East and North East of the location. With the new airfield now operational at Rat Island, it also makes this location ideal, even thou it is about 4 kilometres to the South East, but a small ferry service would overcome that situation,” I replied.

“Good, I look forward to receiving a detailed report from you, once you have found the ideal location fitting the depth requirements, and it also must have good small boat access for the fishing boats, and the Silver Cloud, which will probably become the main supply vessel between the ocean city and the mainland,” Mr Lloyd stated.

The following evening, as arranged, Mr Lloyd and I had dinner together again in the hotel restaurant, but this time, we met half an hour earlier in his suite, where I was about to see the plans for the ocean city for the first time. As the plans were laid out on the coffee table, I stared at the first page in amazement.

Seeing the scale at 1:200, I was able to work out that everything was huge, with our suites being nearly ten metres long and 7 metres wide. After spending a lot of time studying the plans, Mr Lloyd locked them away, before we headed downstairs for some dinner, and he informed me that he would be leaving and heading back to Wake Island, via Brisbane and the Marshall Islands.

During dinner, I was informed that a construction team was travelling on the cargo ship that is transporting the ocean city direct from New Zealand to the Abrolhos Islands with no stops on the way, and keeping well away from mainland Australia so that the cargo cannot be seen, with the ship is being escorted by the submarine Oceania.

This team would be responsible for installing the support stumps into the ocean floor and placing the three sections of Ocean City into position on top of the stumps. Having left the North Island of New Zealand just three days ago, the ship would take a total of 12 days to travel the 3400 nautical miles, depending on the weather conditions.

Six days later, in the middle of the week, the day had arrived to complete my final exam, having completed and passed all of the practical sides of the training, and I was very nervous about it, especially when it is a four-hour long exam. Whether I pass or fail, I was booked to fly back to Geraldton the following day, so I just had to try and relax and get through it, and I would be notified of my exam results within 48 hours.

On arrival in Geraldton, a charter flight was waiting for me to fly me directly back to the Abrolhos Islands, with instructions for the pilot to land at the main airfield on Rat Island, as I was part of the team assisting with restoring the islands back after the devastation of the cyclone.

During this flight, the pilot mentioned that he now enjoyed flying out to the Abrolhos Islands, because of the extended and sealed runway, and the facilities built on Rat Island. As we circled the island in preparation to land, I noticed that the fish storage facility was now fully repaired, with the additions added to it, which meant that there was now just the crew of the Silver Cloud, and the two rangers on the island.

A quad bike was parked near the parking apron, for me to use to get to the main jetty, so I didn’t have to hike the distance, which I was pleased about. After retrieving my luggage, I thanked the pilot for his transport services and watched by the quad bike as he turned around and took off again.

Ten minutes later, I parked the quad bike in the garage, just as I heard an outboard motor of a dinghy approaching, which would be my ride to the Silver Cloud and the barge. I was pleased to see that it was Joshua who had brought the dinghy over to collect me, and he stayed on board, while I climbed on, and sat down in one of the six seats on the dinghy.

“Welcome home, how did you go with your final exam?” Joshua shouted to me over the noise of the outboard motor. “Good I think, I won’t know the results for another day or two,” I replied. “The building crew left last week, and the last of the catering team left yesterday, when I had a flight come over to collect them,” Joshua informed me, and I nodded my head in understanding.