Museum of Underwater Art Coral Greenhouse

Scope of Work

PMG has completed installation of a number of unique underwater structures on the Great Barrier Reef off Townsville, and in inshore Townsville waters. The structures are known as:

• The Coral Greenhouse (located John Brewer Reef)
• Ocean Sentinels (located John Brewer Reef)
• Ocean Siren (located adjacent the Strand Jetty – Townsville)

The Coral Greenhouse

The Coral Greenhouse is part of the Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA), and is the work of world renowned artist Jason deCaires Taylor. Some more information about MOUA can be found here:

MOUA Website

PMG’s involvement has involved working with many project stakeholders including GBRMPA, the MOUA board, Townsville Enterprise, Reef Ecologic, EDMS, Townsville City Council, Port of Townsville Limited, AIMS, Sealink, NQ Engineers, HME Consulting Engineers and of course Jason deCaires Taylor and his very talented team. PMG were also a major project sponsor, donating $50 000 toward the project. We also provided free use of our marine facility and equipment in Townsville for the artwork manufacture and trial assembly, as well as design and permitting assistance and advice to all involved parties throughout the 12 month plus process.

Jason and his team worked for many months at our marine facility in Townsville, where they completed the artwork. The coral greenhouse itself is 12m x 9m x 6m tall and is built of 316 stainless steel. The structure was trial assembled at our facility, before being lifted onto our barge, and seafastened. The structure sits on a concrete footing that was precast in our yard before being loaded onto the barge.

Equipment used on this project included our 54m x 18m barge PMG182 which was fitted with a 180T crawler crane. The barge was towed by our 31m tug PMG Pride. A PMG team of up to 15 were involved in the installation on site which was made complex by the very tight confines of the site itself, which has pristine coral reef all around in close proximity, as well as the strict environmental conditions placed on the project. Crane lifts of up to 30T were required, and the underwater fitup involved very tight tolerances which made the task even more challenging.

The project has been a great success, and involved very long hours by our dive team, marine team, topside and cranes/logistics team, and Project Management team. Projects of this nature on the Great Barrier Reef are quite uncommon, and demonstrate PMG’s ability to complete complex marine construction tasks in extremely sensitive marine environments, safely and in accordance with worlds best environmental controls.

Ocean Siren

From MOUA’s website - The Ocean Siren is a 4m high illuminated sculpture by artist Jason deCaires Taylor and inspired by Takoda Johnson, a young indigenous girl from the Wulgurukaba tribe. It serves as a warning signal about the warming seas' threat to the Great Barrier Reef.

The sculpture showcases Takoda holding a traditional indigenous communication device, a Bayliss shell, while looking out towards Magnetic Island and the Great Barrier Reef. At night, the sculpture's colour changes based on daily water temperature data from an AIMS weather station on Davies Reef.

This visual representation of current conditions helps raise awareness about the risks of warming seas to coral reefs. The structure of Ocean Siren, fabricated with stainless steel and translucent acrylic, features a matrix of LED lights that gradually change colour, resembling a heat sensing camera image. The sculpture aims to bring reef science to urban areas in a live, visual, and impactful manner, conveying a clear message about this complex issue.

PMG supplied and drove a 900mm diameter pile in close proximity to the Strand Jetty in Townsville, then installed a weld on base plate, and installed the sculpture atop the pile. PMG divers completed underwater work associated with the cable and conduit runs.

Ocean Sentinels

From MOUA’s website - The Ocean Sentinels is a captivating series of underwater sculptures by Jason deCaires Taylor, located at a depth of 5 meters and just a short swim from the Coral Greenhouse installation at John Brewer Reef in the Sea Country near Townsville. Standing 2.2 meters tall and weighing between 1 to 3 tons, the sculptures are a unique blend of human figures and marine elements, symbolising the fusion of art and science.

Each sculpture showcases a renowned marine scientist or conservationist, highlighting their significant contributions to reef protection. Crafted from a sustainable and resilient earth friendly concrete, the artworks are designed with a low centre of gravity to withstand the powerful forces of the ocean. With their surfaces intentionally designed to attract marine life, the sculptures are expected to transform over time as corals, sponges, and hydroids colonise them, mirroring the reef's dynamic nature.

PMG installed the Ocean Sentinels at John Brewer Reef using divers working from a crane barge and support tug. Onboard we had a number of the scientists that the sculptures are based on, which was a very satisfying moment in their lives - being recognised in this manner and seeing their likeness being installed into the waters of the Great Barrier Reef.

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