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Shell Australia Ltd. has launched a new barge to carry out marine fuel deliveries in Port Botany and Sydney Harbour.

The Whitnavigator is a double-hulled barge with an overall length of 70 metres. The vessel's total storage capacity is 400 metric tonnes of fuel oil and 200 metric tonnes of distillates and it is served by three pumps with a 250 cubic metre per hour capacity.

The barge will load marine fuel from Shell’s Gore Bay Terminal, where a berth has been modified to accommodate the new vessel. It will be manned and operated by ASP Ship Management Group.

Commenting on the Whitnavigator, Andrew Smith, Vice President Downstream Australia at Shell said: "She is being introduced in response to the changing demands of the Australian shipping industry where Shell has seen an increasing requirement for bigger deliveries, guaranteed supply, faster loading rates and state-of-the-art safety features."