The extraordinary journey of PILBARA SUN

The Pilbara Sun was originally built as a 49-ton workboat HAMERSLEY SUN for Hamersley ion Pty Ltd in 1965 by Southern Cross Slipways in North Fremantle.

She was one of three heavy workboats built for the construction of the iron ore ports at both Dampier and Port Hedland by the Ver boon family. The Verboon’s, Dutch immigrants, had started by building steel fishing boats in their back yard in Osborne Park, before taking over the shipyard in North Fremantle. They then outgrew that and set up Australian Ship Building Industries (ASI) in Henderson, which became the largest shipbuilder in Australia and has grown into the worldwide known Austal.

The HAMERSLEY SUN therefore played an interesting role in the development of the Northwest of WA, as well as being of herself important representing the evolution of Australia’s largest shipbuilder from backyard boats to large fighting ships.

Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd set up Pilbara Harbour Services Pty Ltd as a wholly owned subsidiary on 1975, and it was then that HAMERSLEY SUN was renamed PILBARA SUN. All of the Hamersley/Pilbara Harbour Services vessels were named after celestial bodies.