Cargo ship containers towed to Hawkesbury as cleanup continues
Shipping containers washed up after falling from the APL England container vessel are being towed into the Hawkesbury River as investigations continue into the “disappointing” cargo spill.
NSW
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Shipping containers washed up after falling from the APL England container vessel are being towed into the Hawkesbury River as investigations continue into the “disappointing” cargo spill.
Several containers which toppled from the ship 73km south-east of Sydney last week have been found and brought to Mooney Mooney by NSW Maritime tugboats before being lifted out by a crane.
Australian Maritime Safety Authority investigators confirmed the number of containers believed lost has risen from 40 to 50.
So far only 15 of the lost containers, filled with a variety of homewares, supermarket goods, pharmaceuticals and even fire extinguishers, have been recovered.
AMSA general manager of operations Allan Schwartz confirmed authorities were looking to charge the ship’s master with a raft of offences and said ships losing cargo overboard was an act that had happened “too many times in recent years”.
“In a rather unusual move AMSA has taken steps towards charging the master for offences of carrying cargo safely, of marine pollution and damage to Australia’s marine environment,” Mr Schwartz told 7News.
“It is an unusual step but this and similar incidents in recent years have reflected the criticality of the master in ensuring ships are operated safely and cargo is carried safely.”
The APL England has been detained in Brisbane as investigations continue, with the master still onboard.
APL has paid for contractors to assist NSW Maritime in retrieving the lost containers, which continue to be found across the NSW coastline.
Mr Scwhartz said a $22 million surety bill to cover damages would have to be paid by the company’s insurance provider before the ship would be allowed to leave Australian waters.
“It’s absolutely important for us not to think (charging the master) absolves the owners, the operators and insurers from cleaning this mess up,” he said.
“We expect that cooperation and assistance to continue.”
One Wednesday, five of the shipping containers washed ashore on the NSW Central Coast.
NSW Maritime executive director Alex Barrell said the containers, connected in a row, were located at Birdie Beach near Norah Head.
Another five containers, also together, were sighted during aerial surveillance off Terrigal. A single floating container was spotted off Wollongong.
“We have had our staff working around the clock to attend reported locations of debris … This is expected to increase as more debris comes ashore.
“This is a big job but we have good experience in responding to these kinds of incidents. Marine services firms Varley and AVCON each have teams of 20 trained staff who are joining our teams in the collection and safe disposal of this debris.”
Mr Barrell reminded community members to report sightings of debris rather than collect it themselves.
On Wednesday, 10 eastern Sydney suburbs beaches closing to the public because of the debris washing ashore.
Face masks, airconditioning parts and numerous other items have washed up.
A Randwick Council spokesman said all 10 beaches in the area were closed from midday Wednesday and signs were put up to warn swimmers of the risks.
“We strongly advise people not to get in the water, because we don’t know enough about the debris yet,” the spokesman said.
“Our lifeguards at the two patrolled beaches, Maroubra and Coogee, have taken the flags down and are speaking with people to warn them.”
The beaches closed included Clovelly, Coogee, Gordons Bay, Maroubra, Malabar, Congwong, Frenchmans Bay, Little Bay, Little Congwong and Yarra Bay.
Waverley Council mayor Paula Masselos said Bondi, Bronte and Tamarama would remain open.
“We’re asking people not to touch the items deeming them unsafe. They might be contaminated,” Ms Masselos said.
“If you find anything, please notify the lifeguards. They will be monitoring the situation and alerting the port authorities.”
Waverley councillor Sally Betts said people were clearing items off Bronte beach on Wednesday.
“There were a whole lot of masks. People were pulling big silver packaging off the beach and putting it in the garbage bins,” Ms Betts said.
NSW Maritime said boat operators should be on high alert for floating containers which could pose a safety hazard.
Australian Maritime Safety Authority general manager of operations Allan Schwartz said no dangerous goods appeared to be in the cargo but investigations were ongoing.
“We have received a report of some medical supplies (face masks) washing up between Magenta Beach and The Entrance,” Mr Schwartz said.
“These correlate to drift modelling of debris and are consistent with items listed on the ship’s cargo manifest.”
The APL England lost some of its load when the ship’s propulsion system failed and it rolled in rough seas while travelling from China to Melbourne.
Crew on-board APL England told Australian authorities at least 74 containers were damaged and remained collapsed on the deck of the ship, while another nine were protruding from each side of the vessel.
Dramatic photos taken by AMSA aircraft show some of the containers precariously dangling from the side of the ship over water.
A challenger jet spotted the shipping containers floating off the coast near Royal National Park late on Sunday but were forced to turn back due to low visibility.
By Monday morning, the containers had disappeared.
Drift modelling predicted the containers or their goods – if they were light enough – would wash ashore between Sydney’s northern beaches or the Central Coast.
The ship docked in Brisbane on Tuesday so inspectors could deem if the vessel was seaworthy.
While thrifty Sydneysiders may have hoped to snap up a bargain if they found the ship’s lost goods on the beach, a spokesman for AMSA warned doing so would be akin to stealing.
“If you find anything, we recommend you contact the maritime authority, the RMS,” they said.
“If they did take the items, it would be the same as if I was at the shops and dropped something and they took it.”
The same ship was involved in a prior incident four years ago, prompting a stern rebuke from maritime authorities at the time.
An AMSA spokesman said on Monday the Singapore-flagged APL England also lost 37 containers in the Great Australian Bight due to heavy rolling in rough seas in August 2016.
“This is not the first incident,” the spokesman said.
“While the vessel was under totally different management at that time, this is another example of the need for crews and operators to ensure cargo is carried, and ships are operated, to prevent this sort of pollution of the marine environment.”
Originally published as Cargo ship containers towed to Hawkesbury as cleanup continues
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