Australian Transport Safety Bureau releases report following the Port Phillip Sea Pilots boat grounding off Point Lonsdale

The captain of a boat that was destroyed after running aground on the Point Lonsdale reef was battling strong winds and waves up to 2.4m high before it crashed, an initial report into the incident has found.

The track of PV Corsair for pilot transfer from Rio Grande. The figure also shows the tracks of the vessel on its previous trip. Source: Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

The captain of a boat that was destroyed after running aground on the Point Lonsdale reef was battling strong winds and waves up to 2.4m high before it crashed, an initial report into the incident has found.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau released its preliminary report into the late-night October 5 accident that saw all three people aboard PV Corsair rescued uninjured by Victoria Water Police at 1.30am the following day.

The dramatic rescue was triggered by a Mayday call from Corsair, which was picked up by Melbourne vessel traffic services, which in turn contacted police.

Corsair, operated by Port Phillip Sea Pilots (PPSP), had collected the pilot of outbound container ship MV Rio Grande about two nautical miles (NM) south-west of the entrance to Port Phillip Heads.

It was returning to its Queenscliff base when it hit the reef, 500m from the Point Lonsdale coastline.

The vessel was completely destroyed.

The investigation has so far included interviews, vessel inspections, the examination of pilot launch track recordings from the accident and previous transits of the area, and a review of relevant communications.

“As it progresses, the investigation will consider the operation of Corsair, including bridge resource management, and will further examine relevant safety management systems and vessel data recordings,” chief investigator Mark Smallwood said.

“Relevant parties will be notified immediately, should the investigation identify a critical safety issue before the final report is complete.”

The remnants of PV Corsair.

The Heads, or The Rip as it is also known, is a narrow waterway that connects Port Phillip to Bass Strait and which all ships visiting Melbourne and Geelong ports must pass.

“Point Lonsdale reef, an outcrop of flat-topped rocks, extends up to about 540m south-east of Point Lonsdale, and sits west of a defined small craft channel – which itself is to the west of a number of channels suitable for larger ships,” Mr Smallwood said.

“The extent of the reef’s exposure and its visibility varies with tide and sea conditions.”

On the night in question, the south westerly wind was gusting up to 26 knots – just shy of 50km/h – and the recorded wave height outside the Heads was 2.4m.

“At about 2310 (11.10pm), Corsair was about 1.4 NM south-west from Point Lonsdale when it commenced a slow alteration in course to port,” the report stated.

“At about 2312, when about 205º and 0.54 NM from Point Lonsdale, the launch steadied on a course of about 051º and its speed was still about 24 knots.

“At about 2313 Corsair entered the shallow water surrounding the reef and ran aground.

“The launch came to rest in a rock pool about 500m from Point Lonsdale.”

PV Nepean is the sister vessel of Corsair.

The preliminary report contained no analysis or findings.

They will be detailed in the final report, expected to be released in the first half of 2024.

A PPSP spokesman said the company had a long history of providing safe pilotage through Port Phillip Heads.


“As it always has been, the safety of our pilots, crews and operations is our top priority,” he said.


“We will continue to assist regulators as they investigate the incident and look for ways to make our industry even safer.”

Originally published as Australian Transport Safety Bureau releases report following the Port Phillip Sea Pilots boat grounding off Point Lonsdale