CANBERRA, May 16 (NNN-AAP) – A bulk carrier, that narrowly avoided running aground near Sydney in 2022, has sparked one of Australia’s most comprehensive marine investigations in nearly two decades, a government report revealed.
The near stranding of the bulk carrier “Portland Bay,” near Sydney’s Royal National Park on July 4, 2022, has prompted the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), to issue a sweeping set of safety recommendations to government agencies and a salvage operator, the ATSB said, in its investigation report, yesterday.
“The stranding on pristine national park coastline, of a 170-metre ship, carrying 950 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, would have had internationally significant environmental and economic consequences,” said ATSB Chief Commissioner, Angus Mitchell.
According to the ATSB’s 160-page final report, the ship lost engine power just 12 nautical miles off the New South Wales (NSW) coast, in severe weather, after leaving Port Kembla, 93 km south of Sydney, despite procedures requiring it to remain 50 miles offshore.
Emergency broadcasts and a mayday call went unanswered for hours, with the first tug arriving five hours later, unequipped for the task. The ship narrowly avoided grounding near Royal National Park, by deploying its anchors, the report said.
A failed towline later caused it to drift again, forcing a second emergency anchoring off Cronulla, in southern Sydney, the capital city of NSW. NSW’s only suitable emergency tow vessel arrived over 30 hours, after the incident began, delayed by nearly 13 hours, due to poor inter-agency coordination, it said.
The ATSB investigation uncovered eight safety issues related to the emergency response, pointing to confusion and poor coordination among the various agencies involved.
The report said, the ATSB will monitor ongoing responses to ensure the recommendations are implemented.– NNN-AAP
