Newcastle's Bad Weather
Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2007 3:11 pmGuys, it's pretty bloody bad down here in Newcastle at the moment.. below is the story about it as well as photos that have been taken..
Ships battling seas off Newcastle coast
Operating in wild conditions, rescue helicopters have winched crew members to safety from a stricken bulk carrier which had run aground off a Newcastle beach.
As the dramatic rescue operation got underway, authorities warned another ship was in distress in huge waves and was expected to run aground off the NSW city.
Maritime authorities were also monitoring other vessels moored off Newcastle, amid reports of waves of up to 17 metres.
On Friday morning, heavy seas pushed the empty 225-metre long coal carrier Pasha Bulker aground 20 metres off the beach at Nobbys Head, just south of the entrance to Newcastle Port.
The grounding raised fears more than 700 tonnes of fuel on the 40,000-tonne ship could spill into the ocean.
In howling winds, rescue helicopters winched 21 Filipino and Korean crew members to safety, one by one, from the deck of the stricken carrier.
Paramedics were earlier airlifted to the ship to help the frightened crew.
NSW Maritime said the Pasha Bulker was carrying 700 tonnes of fuel oil, 38 tonnes of diesel and 40 tonnes of lube oil.
Although its fuel tanks were intact, there were concerns they could be damaged as the wild weather continued to worsen.
A spokeswoman for federal MP De-Anne Kelly, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport and Regional Services, said the Sea Confidence and a second ship Bitis were both predicted to run aground.
Both ships were less than a nautical mile off Stockton Beach, north of Nobbys Beach, she said.
Also in distress off the same beach is the Coral Emerald.
It is about 2.8 nautical miles offshore and its anchor is dragging due to the swell, she said.
NSW Maritime chief executive Chris Oxenbould said a contingency plan for responding to ocean pollution had been put into place following the grounding of the Pasha Bulker.
It included NSW Maritime, Newcastle Port Corporation and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
The NSW Fire Brigade HAZMAT crews were also at the scene.
"The priority is the saving of lives and the focus is on the crew," Mr Oxenbould said.
"A response is being coordinated and contingencies for pollution are being put in place.
"The forecast is for the weather to deteriorate with seas now at 8-10m and winds of around 40 knots."
None of the Pasha Bulker's crew was believed to be injured. They were airlifted to Nobbys Head car park, the NSW Ambulance Service says.
Tugboats will be used in an effort to move the ship into deeper water.
Strong swells and wild winds were blamed for causing the Pasha Bulker to break its offshore moorings. It had been preparing to collect coal from Newcastle Port later this month.
Cate Faehrmann, executive director of the Nature Conservation Council, said an oil spill would be a disaster for the Newcastle region.
"The ship ... is just off Nobbys Beach, one of Newcastle's most important heritage sites," she said.
The International Transport Workers Federation said the crew included 18 Filipinos and two Koreans.
MUA Newcastle Branch secretary Jim Boyle said such incidents were more likely to occur given the delays in accessing Newcastle Port, with close to 60 ships waiting offshore.
"Certainly the odds are increased dramatically when you've got so many ships waiting to get into port. It's a concern that people have had for some time," he told ABC radio.
He also said the MUA was concerned about the standard of ships arriving in Australia.
"These flag of convenience vessels, their ownership and state of the vessel are somewhat disguised," he said.
"A classic example of this is there's a Filipino crew on board this vessel (Pasha Bulker) with Korean officers, and the training and standard of requirements for Australian crews are much higher than for these foreign crews, and that's the concern we have."
Photos:
http://s148.photobucket.com/albums/s23/Mano-K/Newcastle%20Storm/
Password: storm
Ships battling seas off Newcastle coast
Operating in wild conditions, rescue helicopters have winched crew members to safety from a stricken bulk carrier which had run aground off a Newcastle beach.
As the dramatic rescue operation got underway, authorities warned another ship was in distress in huge waves and was expected to run aground off the NSW city.
Maritime authorities were also monitoring other vessels moored off Newcastle, amid reports of waves of up to 17 metres.
On Friday morning, heavy seas pushed the empty 225-metre long coal carrier Pasha Bulker aground 20 metres off the beach at Nobbys Head, just south of the entrance to Newcastle Port.
The grounding raised fears more than 700 tonnes of fuel on the 40,000-tonne ship could spill into the ocean.
In howling winds, rescue helicopters winched 21 Filipino and Korean crew members to safety, one by one, from the deck of the stricken carrier.
Paramedics were earlier airlifted to the ship to help the frightened crew.
NSW Maritime said the Pasha Bulker was carrying 700 tonnes of fuel oil, 38 tonnes of diesel and 40 tonnes of lube oil.
Although its fuel tanks were intact, there were concerns they could be damaged as the wild weather continued to worsen.
A spokeswoman for federal MP De-Anne Kelly, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport and Regional Services, said the Sea Confidence and a second ship Bitis were both predicted to run aground.
Both ships were less than a nautical mile off Stockton Beach, north of Nobbys Beach, she said.
Also in distress off the same beach is the Coral Emerald.
It is about 2.8 nautical miles offshore and its anchor is dragging due to the swell, she said.
NSW Maritime chief executive Chris Oxenbould said a contingency plan for responding to ocean pollution had been put into place following the grounding of the Pasha Bulker.
It included NSW Maritime, Newcastle Port Corporation and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
The NSW Fire Brigade HAZMAT crews were also at the scene.
"The priority is the saving of lives and the focus is on the crew," Mr Oxenbould said.
"A response is being coordinated and contingencies for pollution are being put in place.
"The forecast is for the weather to deteriorate with seas now at 8-10m and winds of around 40 knots."
None of the Pasha Bulker's crew was believed to be injured. They were airlifted to Nobbys Head car park, the NSW Ambulance Service says.
Tugboats will be used in an effort to move the ship into deeper water.
Strong swells and wild winds were blamed for causing the Pasha Bulker to break its offshore moorings. It had been preparing to collect coal from Newcastle Port later this month.
Cate Faehrmann, executive director of the Nature Conservation Council, said an oil spill would be a disaster for the Newcastle region.
"The ship ... is just off Nobbys Beach, one of Newcastle's most important heritage sites," she said.
The International Transport Workers Federation said the crew included 18 Filipinos and two Koreans.
MUA Newcastle Branch secretary Jim Boyle said such incidents were more likely to occur given the delays in accessing Newcastle Port, with close to 60 ships waiting offshore.
"Certainly the odds are increased dramatically when you've got so many ships waiting to get into port. It's a concern that people have had for some time," he told ABC radio.
He also said the MUA was concerned about the standard of ships arriving in Australia.
"These flag of convenience vessels, their ownership and state of the vessel are somewhat disguised," he said.
"A classic example of this is there's a Filipino crew on board this vessel (Pasha Bulker) with Korean officers, and the training and standard of requirements for Australian crews are much higher than for these foreign crews, and that's the concern we have."
Photos:
http://s148.photobucket.com/albums/s23/Mano-K/Newcastle%20Storm/
Password: storm
