Port Botany shipping put on hold as bulk carrier Portland Bay towed in

A stricken Hong Kong-based bulk carrier has arrived at its berth in Port Botany after more than 48 hours stranded at sea when it was at risk of being grounded on the NSW coastline during wild weather.

Portland Bay was brought into the berth about 2pm on Wednesday with all 21 crew on-board now set to return to dry land after a hairy few days on the ocean.

The NSW Port Authority said all commercial shipping in and out of Port Botany was suspended until the vessel could be docked, and all final safety and technical checks completed.

The Portland Bay spent two days stranded off the NSW coast has and came under fire from authorities for not flagging sooner it was drifting towards rocks with 1,000 tonnes of fuel on-board.

Early on Wednesday it was issued with a legal direction to be moved to a berth in Botany Bay.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority appointed emergency towing vessel Glenrock, along with tug boats for support, to move the bulk carrier so repairs could be made to the stricken vessel.

People can be seen on deck of the bulk carrier Portland Bay at bert in Port Botany on Wednesday. Picture: Damian Shaw

In a statement, NSW Port Authority said all 21 crew on-board “had a better night” on Tuesday night.

The Portland Bay narrowly avoided a major maritime disaster on Monday when it came within 0.7 nautical miles (1.3kms) of crashing into the rugged cliffs near the Royal National Park, south of Sydney.

Tug boats assist the bulk carrier into Botany Bay on Wednesday. Picture: Gaye Gerard

Three tug boats rushed to the ship’s position and worked into the night to tow it to safety, however locals in Cronulla woke to find the vessel only 1.2nms (2.2kms) offshore after 11m waves snapped towlines late on Monday.

On Tuesday, NSW Port Authority Captain Philip Holliday said that with weather conditions set to ease on Wednesday it was expected the Portland Bay would be towed into Port Botany to undergo repairs.

However he admitted the incident had been a bit close for comfort and an investigation was now underway.

“Yesterday (Monday) morning when we were first notified of the difficulties the vessel was facing she was drifting towards the rocks, which is never a good thing on a ship – ship’s are much better at floating than they are at sitting on rocks,” he said.

“At the moment she’s got a mix of heavy fuel and marine oil on-board, so add the two together and she (the Portland Bay) has a mix about 1,000 tonnes of fuel on-board.

The Portland Bay bulk carrier, anchored off Cronulla, on Tuesday. Picture: James Gourley

“Of course that is a concern that we are managing, but the ship itself is intact, it’s in a good condition and in a safe position, so everything is in control as we stand and we intend to make sure that remains the case.

“If I was going to be critical I would say it took a little while before the ship let us know how close to the shore they were.

Bulk carrier Portland Bay is expected to reach Port Botany, with the assistance of tug boats, for repairs on Wednesday after a hairy 48 hours stranded off the NSW coast. Picture: Mark Sundin Images

“There’ll be an investigation around what time the engine’s failed and what time we were notified and what time other agencies were notified, but they notified us in sufficient time so all is well that ends well.”

Twenty-one crew members have been on the ship since it left Port Kembla after offloading the grain it was carrying about 1.10pm on Sunday.

NSW Port Authority Captain Philip Holliday said an investigation was now underway into if the Portland Bay could have told authorities about its issues soon. Picture: Mark Sundin Images

When the ship made called for help around dawn on Monday there were fears it would crash into rocks in the area near Little Garie Beach.

Attempts were initially made by rescue helicopters to winch eight non-essential crew to safety, but they had to be abandoned due to the winds of 80km/h.

Capt Holliday said despite the ship not having power to move, there was enough backup power on-board for the crew to use lights, cook and stay warm.

“It would be challenging for anybody in pleasant weather conditions, but the weather is atrocious,” he said.

“We haven’t actually had a ship in or out of Port Botany since Saturday because of the atrocious weather.

“There as refreshed as they can be, but clearly they’ll be looking forward to getting alongside and getting out of these conditions.”

Capt Holliday said Portland Bay was expected to be docked by Wednesday afternoon and confirmed the bill for the ship’s rescue and repair would be paid for by the vessel’s owners.