War on Wrecks: Cairns crane pulls derelict fishing vessel from Trinity Inlet

A hulking chunk of rusted steel has been hoisted from the muddy depths of Trinity Inlet as authorities vow to clean up the Cairns waterways.

A HULKING chunk of a sunken fishing vessel has been hoisted from the muddy depths of Trinity Inlet as the War on Wrecks makes waves all over Queensland.

Carpentaria Contracting started putting its giant floating crane to use back in May in an effort to hoist the derelict Warunda from the waterway.

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It has been a mammoth effort which the Department of Transport and Main Roads said required an expert piece-by-piece removal technique to finish the job.

A crane has dredged up a hulking piece of the sunken Warunda fishing vessel from the Trinity Inlet floor as part of the Queensland Government's War on Wrecks. PICTURE: SUPPLIED

“Due to the sheer size of this derelict ship we had to cut it up in-situ (with a high-tensile wire) before we could pull it out of the water,” the department explained.

The 32m-long former commercial fishing boat is the 570th abandoned vessel removed from waterways as part of Maritime Safety Queensland’s War on Wrecks.

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The $20 million program was launched in mid-2018 following a months-long campaign for funds to clean up Trinity Inlet and Admiralty Island by Cairns Post journalist Jim Campbell.

About $5.5 million had been spent on the four-year campaign across Queensland by March this year — and there is much more to be done despite 570 vessels being removed.

Carpentaria Contracting removes a derelict trawler left to sink and rust in Trinity Inlet as the State Government pushes ahead with its $20 million War on Wrecks. PICTURE: SUPPLIED

“An additional 300 wrecks and vessels have been identified and we will continue to remove these rotting, unseaworthy and derelict vessels from our bays, rivers and creeks,” Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) said in a statement.

Dickson Inlet in Port Douglas has been held up as a case study on just how effective the program has been.

MSQ said 13 illegally dumped vessels in various states of decay had been identified in the waterway over the years.

Now all but one of the rusting hazards have been removed and it is understood progress has been made on the remaining vessel.

The total cost of clearing Dickson Inlet was $380,000.

Originally published as War on Wrecks: Cairns crane pulls derelict fishing vessel from Trinity Inlet