This was published 1 year ago
Investigations launched into CityCat collision that sank river cruiser
By Tony Moore
The experienced master of a CityCat that collided with the cruiser Prime Pollution could face a charge of unsafe navigation – the marine equivalent of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.
The master of Brisbane City Council’s CityCat wich hit and sunk the cruiser off West End’s Orleigh Park on Tuesday night could face charges of unsafe navigation.Credit: Tony Moore
The moored cruiser sunk about 30 metres off Orleigh Park at West End, about 200 metres downstream from the West End CityCat terminal.
Three investigations have been launched, by Maritime Safety Queensland, RiverCity Ferries and the Queensland Water Police. No one was injured.
The CityCat, with a crew of a master and two deckhands, collided with Prime Pollution, a 1970 Bracken Fire Bridge cruiser, about 8.30pm on Tuesday.
Brisbane Times understands the boat had “recently changed mooring positions” and was in the river off Orleigh Park, not against a private pontoon.
It usually has a flashing white light to mark its position.
“The small boat had moved in the last couple of days, so it is not as black and white as you and I might think,” a source said on Wednesday.
Prime Pollution’s owner, who is listed at a St Lucia address, was contacted by police on Tuesday night. It was unoccupied at the time of the incident.
The bay cruiser before it sunk off West End’s Orleigh Park after allegedly being struck by a CityCat on Tuesday night.
The council’s fleet of CityCats is run under lease by RiverCity Ferries, who said the collision occurred after the CityCat had ended its passenger-carrying shift.
It was returning from the western end of the CityCat line, at the St Lucia CityCat stop, to RiverCity Ferries’ main centre at the Rivergate ferry wharf at Murarrie.
“An incident occurred on the CityCat Gilwunpa at 20.35 on Tuesday, 31 October, approximately 200 metres downstream of the West End Ferry Terminal, when it made contact with an unoccupied, anchored private vessel,” RiverCity Ferries said.
The CityCat made its way back to the West End CityCat terminal immediately after the collision, and RiverCity Ferries provided no damage estimate.
One witness said he saw damage to the left-hand front of the vessel, but RiverCity Ferries said the CityCat was able to return to the Rivergate marina at Murarrie without help.
A witness told of hearing a very loud bang on Tuesday night.
“It sounded like something fell into the river. So I hopped up off the carpet and went to the balcony and saw a CityCat had collided with a boat, a cruiser,” the witness said.
Prime Pollution sank within the next 30 minutes, he said.
The witness said the cruiser was always moored on the St Lucia reach of the river, but “moved around from time to time”.