Plan to take bulk carrier MV Portland Bay back out to sea stalls
A plan to haul a bulk carrier 12 nautical miles off the NSW coast appears to have stalled, with tug lines snapping amid monster sea swells— but the Premier has said the ship is now stable.
NSW
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A major operation to tow an unpowered bulk carrier from near the Royal National Park out into deeper waters overnight has almost come unstuck, with 11 metre waves snapping tow lines between the ship and tug boats.
There were fears for much of Monday that the Hong Kong-based Portland Bay would crash into rugged cliffs near Little Garie Beach, south of Sydney, after losing power in the wild weather.
After helicopter rescues of some of the 21 people onboard had to be abandoned, three tug boats worked through the night to tow it to safety.
But those efforts stalled when tow lines broke, forcing authorities to suspend the rescue and leaving an anchored Portland Bay sitting in shelter 1.2 nautical miles (2.1kms) off Port Botany.
One tug remains connected and whilst another remains close by.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said the Portman Bay bulk carrier situation was now “stable” after crews working tirelessly overnight.
“There were 11m swells. They worked through the night to ensure that that bulk carrier was in a stable and anchored position,” he said.
“It’s far from over in this torrential weather… more support is on the way. I want to thank the men and women who were on the crew overnight, for their heroic work.
“It’s that spirit of service we are seeing day in, day out.”
“With 11 metre swells experienced last night, an operational decision was made to suspend further attempts to tow the ship out to sea,” NSW Ports Authority said in a statement.
“The crew of the MV Portland Bay has been unable to make the repairs required on board and the incident team’s preference at this time is to bring the ship into Port Botany when the weather abates so repairs can be undertaken in the safety of a berth and port environment.
“Based on current weather forecasts, it is expected that the ship will remain off shore until at least Wednesday.
“An additional tug with heavy duty emergency equipment is travelling from Newcastle and is expected to arrive at Port Botany in the early afternoon today to provide further assistance.”
Attempts to rescue some members of the crew yesterday morning had to be abandoned because it was too dangerous for helicopters to winch them to safety.
The NSW Ports Authority said everyone onboard remains safe.
It comes as rescue plans for crew members onboard had to be abandoned yesterday with massive waves of more than eight metres and winds of more than 70km/h making it too unsafe for rescue crews.
Despite having both its anchors down, the storm was so furious dragged the MV Portland Bay to within 0.6 nautical miles (1.1kms) of the shore by early on Monday afternoon.
As of 6pm on Monday the bulk carrier had been brought around 2.5 nautical miles away from the shoreline, after a single tug boat that had been battling to keep the vessel away from the cliffs was joined by two more from Sydney. All three are planning to tow the Hong Kong-based ship carrying grain out to 20nms (37kms) away from land.
“The priority is getting this vessel and its crew into safer waters and away from land and the potential of grounding,” NSW Port Authority Captain John Finch said.
“We are not out of the woods, but we are heading in the right direction.
“All response crews will continue this operation for several hours well into the night despite the ocean conditions which are atrocious.
“Our thoughts are with them and the crew as they continue the slow and delicate operation to remove this vessel to deep water and well away from the State’s coastline.
“Three tugs are in attendance, the critical step of raising the anchors was achieved and they are new secured and they are now travelling at 1.5knotts. This will put them about 12 nautical miles off the coast by midnight.”
About 12pm, authorities said the MV Portland Bay was within 0.7 nautical miles of shore — having been more than 1nm away less than 30 minutes earlier.
In a statement, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said they were assisting the NSW Port Authority to stop the bulk carrier running aground.
“The 170 m vessel, the Portland Bay, lost main engine power this morning and is drifting off Garie Beach,” the statement said.
“The ship has dropped anchor and is currently holding position. There are 21 people on board.
“AMSA has tasked the Essendon Challenger jet to attend the scene which will provide a communication link and location data.
“A salvage towing vessel has been tasked from Port Botany.”
Also responding are NSW Water Police tugs from Port Botany, the Volunteer Marine Rescue service, the Australian Navy and emergency services.
The Hong Kong-registered vessel left Wollongong about 7.30pm on Sunday before losing power and double anchoring about one nautical mile off Garie Beach.
It had travelled from Susaki in Japan, which it left on June 3, and is understood to have been carrying grain.
The ship, which is 170m long and 27m wide, spent time at anchor and then at Port Kembla, where it is understood to have unloaded its containers.
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