Australia’s first tuna processing vessel, the D3, has left Port Lincoln wharf after being sold by its owner Dinko Lukin. Having been obsolete for about 10 years, the D3 was towed away by the Southern Condor, and will be scrapped in Adelaide.
The D3 was built in 1977 by Miho Shipyard in Japan and was purchased from Hong Kong in October 1989.
It was used for longlining and towing tuna cages while in operation with Dinko Tuna Farmers and later went on to longline off the Australian east coast and Tasmania, before retiring to a quieter life working off Port Lincoln during the short tuna harvest period.
It was also part of a National Geographic documentary about tuna farming, filmed on board to highlight the tow process with an emphasis on Dinko Lukin's accomplishments in establishing tuna farming.
[Source: Port Lincoln Times]
