REEFVTS - Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait Vessel Traffic Service

Best Multimedia DVD Presentation – Training and Educational

Winner | REEFVTS - Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait Vessel Traffic Service | 2013

Visual Obsession was contracted by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) to develop an informational video on the REEFVTS centre based in Townsville. REEFVTS monitors ship traffic in the Great Barrier Reef, providing safety and traffic information to shipmasters in the area to avoid accidents and groundings in the sensitive Great Barrier Reef. The video covers the centre's history, important improvements and milestones, and the various procedures and systems the operators use to help make shipping safer in the Torres Strait and Great Barrier Reef. The Visual Obsession team travelled to Townsville to interview the staff at the REEFVTS centre, and film them demonstrating various procedures in real life situations. A Visual Obsession team member went to Mackay and flew out to the bulk carrier Suigo at the outer Great Barrier Reef in a helicopter (almost 200km off-shore). We documented the journey of the crew interaction with the REEFVTS centre and the procedures on board as the vessel travelled through the reef toward Hay Point. Visual Obsession worked closely with AMSA and MSQ (Maritime Safety Queensland) to ensure that the video clearly explained all the functions of the REEFVTS centre as well as its interactions with ships and reef pilots. The finished video premiered at the NATship 2012 Conference in Melbourne. The client was very happy with the finished product, noting the AMSA CEO was most impressed. After the premiere, the secretary general of the IMO (International Maritime Organisation) requested the video to be shown at their next council meeting and their headquarters in London.