Pasha Bulker aground off Newcastle (Aus)

an (unloaded) 40,000 tonne coal ship has been beached 50-100 meters off shore at Nobby's beach, after 'breaking her moorings' in cyclonic conditions with swell measured up to 17.9 meters.
All twenty two crew winched to safety, with worsening weather expected overnight. The ship is starting to leak her oil (she carrying 700 tonnes of heavy fuel and 34 tonnes of diesel on board) and fears are that she might start breaking up over night.
Two other coal ships are also in trouble.
Wild weather is lashing the area and state of NSW.
Pictures:


http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200706/s1946306.htm
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200706/s1946551.htm

 

more images,


from
http://www.abc.net.au/news/indepth/featureitems/s1946095.htm

 

yes I remember in 74 a similar bulker broke n half there, the tug crews went on strike just as critical tide came, bad old days Australia, bad filthy unions I know this beach

 

really bad weather expected again tonight, but at least the ship is reported to be settling in and no longer moving with no apparent sign of breaking up.
A 'natural disaster' declared in the area, with a fair few losses of life from floodwaters.
a couple more shots,

 

fabulous pics, but we have no tugs of enuff grunt to pull her off,
anyways its a calm weather sand tunnel job,
Least they can't blame the Ship, cos she busted her mooring?

But how come the others did not make to sea?

 

That ship is HUGE... in the last pic... Thanks

 

Hope they get her off w/o alot of enviromental impact.

Tim

 

Fortunate that she is recently built and not overly large for a bulker. Strong hull, soft sand; if she stays bow on, a dredge and straight tow out may get her off without "too much" trouble ("too much" trouble has a different meaning in salvage circles!).

 

fisrt reports said she :broke her mooring" which seemed odd to me at time,
so did she drag or did she break her rode?also seems odd she stayed anchored on the lee shore while the weather came up,

 

True. The statement from the operating company was clear in saying there was no blame to the crew (therefore no blame to the operating company, according to themselves ... ) because they were properly moored. That sounds like either a dragging or a line letting go. For us small boaters, anchoring off a lee shore while the weather is building is a definite no-no. Maybe there are different rules for large ships with high freeboard when in ballast??

 

listening to our dip stick news readers this morn, one sheila said:looks like will be big bill to owner,
Well IF she dragged her mooring and IF the port authority supplied the mooring then they are liable UNLESS it was act of God, don't laugh an act of God is in the (act) and means a state of nature occuring one every 100 years. These winds were not high by Atlantic standards,
I have first hand experience of this cos in 81 my yacht dragged a borrowed mooring in high winds, and wrapped around a plastic boat
We were taken to court, but the judge through it out

 

From what I can remember, the Pasha Bulker (and the other two ships that were in trouble for a while were three amongst eleven ships who) ignored the warning to head out to sea.

latest news is that the starboard side outer hull has been breached and is taking on water, but this should not prove too problematic so long as the inner hull is still sound (which it appears to be). There is no apparent oil leaking as yet.

The state premier has announced that the salvage operation will be completely funded by the Owners of the ship. One salvage tug (Woona from Sydney) is already there, who's crew discovered the hole, and another on its way (Keera from Melbourne).


Woona, and Keera

 

salvage tugs?
look more like rowin boats

 

Thats what I thought, and you may be right. It was all I could find under those names and locations however.

 

Harbour tugs more like - won't shift that load! doubt if anything will - glad I'm not involved, lot of hard work for nothing! Get all the oil pumped off and any other pollutant befor thinking of shifting her! But methinks it may be to late, a hole in her already!? what we going to do weld a cover over the hole? In water, not gas free, yeah no welder I know is that daft!

What's this crap about the crew not being to blame? of course the crew are to blame that's why you have a crew on the vessel - to prevent this sort of thing happening!

As in the most famous shipwreck of all - the Titanic the crew wern't to blame for running into the iceberg? what happened the iceberg ran into them, deliberately? the same thing here Australia suddenly got up and shove a beach under the hull of this bulker! Tell that one to the admiralty court or whatever - they'll be laughing into their pink gins for nest hundred years on that one!!