PMG have recently completed a unique and successful project for Adidas, through production company Not So Normal Productions. We converted one of our dumb barges (PMG150 – 45m x 15m) into a floating tennis court, which was then towed out to John Brewer Reef off Townsville, and moored to grouted screw moorings that PMG installed previously. The location the barge was moored is right above the Museum of Underwater Art, that PMG installed in 2020. Details of that project can be found here.
The aim of the floating tennis court was to promote an Adidas campaign to end dumping of plastic waste into the world’s oceans, as well as promote Adidas’ new range of clothing incorporating plastic recycled from the ocean.
PMG150 was converted into a tennis court by first stripping all deck fittings, then painting the barge white and having signwriting installed, then a 75mm thick concrete slab was poured on the deck, then recycled plastic playing surface tiles were laid on the concrete slab, and finally the net and umpire stand etc was fitted.
To help promote the event, Australian sportstars swimmer Ian Thorpe, canoeist Jess Fox and rugby league player Nathan Cleary, along with model Steph Claire Smith, played a game of mixed doubles on the court. PMG made sure all balls were retrieved from the water!
After the promotional photo and video shoots were complete, the barge was towed back to our marine base in Townsville, and the recycled plastic tiled surface of the tennis court was removed and all tennis court fittings were removed. The recycled plastic tiled playing surface has been donated to a local school for future use by students.
Quite a unique use of PMG150 and one that will probably never be repeated. After the highs of Great Barrier Reef tennis and celebrity guests, she has been converted back to a work barge and is currently carting mud for early works associated with Townsville’s Channel Upgrade Project.
