Attempt To Refloat Pasha Bulker Tomorrow

[mrmoshe]

Attempt to refloat Pasha Bulker tomorrow

An attempt to refloat the stranded bulk carrier Pasha Bulker, stuck off a beach near Newcastle, will be made as early as tomorrow.

Tug boats hauled three sea anchors, and their connecting cables, into place yesterday as the process of mapping the sea-floor was completed.

The salvage company says final preparations can be made throughout tomorrow with the first attempt to winch the 40-tonne vessel into deep water possible after nightfall.

"While it is our intent to attempt a refloat as early as Wednesday evening, there remain a number of conditions that must be met including the weather," Svitzer Shore-side Salvage Master Drew Shannon said last night.

"I stress it may take a number of attempts to refloat the vessel and the duration of the operation will be depend on how the vessel responds."

The preparations will also include pumping out the tonnes of seawater that were poured into one of the vessel's giant holds, where it has acted as ballast to fix the ship to the seabed.

The extra weight prevented it from moving around during NSW's recent spate of storms, and Newcastle Port Corporation chief executive Gary Webb said the vessel's damaged but not breached hull "continues to stand up well".

"We continue to monitor the ship's condition through our Incident Control Centre (and) our oil spill response team remains on standby," he said last night.

Mr Webb also said he understood the public interest the refloat attempt would generate but he warned sightseers that authorities would be taking a safety-first approach.

"As a matter of public safety, the existing protective fence line on Nobbys Beach will be re-aligned prior to the attempt," he said.

"We are working with NSW Police on a pedestrian and traffic management plan, and Newcastle Police will provide further information regarding the vehicle exclusion zone in the next 24 hours."

Activity around the stricken ship is expected to increase over today and tomorrow as final preparations are made before the refloat attempt.

The ship has been stuck off Nobbys Beach, near Newcastle, since a violent storm drove it onto a sandbar on June 8.

______________________________________________________

This is from The Australian:

Pasha could still break up

ROCK reefs surrounding the Pasha Bulker could play havoc with plans to refloat the stricken vessel.

Crew members completed a survey of the ocean floor surrounding the ship yesterday afternoon to decide the best escape route for the 40,000-tonne bulk carrier.

But an Australian Maritime Safety Authority image released yesterday suggests the refloat operation will be fraught with danger.

The image, which has superimposed known rock platforms on to an aerial photo of the Pasha, shows two large reefs right beside the ship.

Plans call for the ship to winch itself off the beach using tug boats and huge sea anchors secured 400m to the south.

The salvage company, Svitzer Shore-side Salvage, said preparations to refloat the ship would be made tomorrow, with the first attempt to winch the 40-tonne vessel into deep water possible after nightfall.

"While it is our intent to attempt a refloat as early as Wednesday evening, there remain a number of conditions that must be met including the weather," company master Drew Shannon said.

"I stress it may take a number of attempts to refloat the vessel and the duration of the operation will be depend on how the vessel responds."

But damage caused as the Pasha ran aground could get worse if the hull again strikes rock. More than 700 tonnes of oil remain on the vessel, fuelling fears of an environmental disaster if the ship breaks up.

Newcastle Port Corporation CEO Gary Webb said yesterday it was safer to leave the oil on board rather than pump it to shore or on another vessel.

"The risk of an oil spill has been very real from day one," Mr Webb said.

Bags of fruit are proving an unlikely asset in the bid to minimise the spread of any spills.

Experts are dropping oranges off the side of the Pasha to track how and where any oil leaks might travel.

The fruit is ideal for the task because of its high visibility and tendency to float for a long time. An exclusion zone has already been set up for safety around the Pasha, including the whole of Nobbys Beach and the air above it.

But the measures have not slowed the constant stream of onlookers snapping photos and ogling the scene.

Nobbys Beach kiosk worker Lauchlan Bell said business had been "massive" since the ship ran aground on June 8.

Hastily prepared "Pasha" T-shirts on sale at the kiosk have almost sold out.

_________________________________________________________________

You can see live webcam pictures of the Pasha Bulker courtesy of Coastalwatch HERE

Edited June 25, 2007 by MallacootaPete