Salvage Crew Ready For Carrier Rescue Window

[mrmoshe]

Salvage crew ready for carrier rescue window

SALVAGE crews will tonight make their first attempt at refloating the stricken bulk carrier Pasha Bulker, almost three weeks since it became stranded on a New South Wales beach.

Equipment was put in place yesterday, and last-minute preparations made before the critical window of opportunity arrives around 7pm, on a much anticipated high tide at Newcastle.

Tonight's high tide will peak at 6.51pm, before peaking again tomorrow at 7.28am and then at 7.31pm tomorrow.

The salvage attempt comes after Greenpeace used the stricken tanker for a high profile protest overnight.

The environmental group beamed the words "coal causes climate chaos" and "this is what climate change looks like" onto the side of the ship in red laser to protest against Australia's continuing use of coal as a main energy source.

“This coal carrier is highly symbolic,” Greenpeace Australia Pacific CEO Steve Shallhorn said. “We know burning coal causes climate change and, consequently, extreme weather impacts such as the fierce storms that lashed NSW causing the Pasha Bulker to run aground. Yet very few commentators have made the ironic link between the coal carrier and climate change.”

Once the high tide moves in to Nobbys Beach, the salvage crew will make three attempts over a 36-hour period to refloat the 40,000 tonne vessel.

Ports Minister Joe Tripodi inspected the site along with Newcastle Port Corporation officials, declaring everything on track and weather conditions favourable to tow the ship out to sea.

"I stress it may take a number of high tides to refloat the vessel and the duration of the operation will depend on how the vessel responds," Mr Tripodi said.

He said the countdown would begin when crews started to pump out seawater which has been acting as an anchor, 12 hours before the attempted refloat.

Mr Tripodi said public and environmental safety were the greatest concerns and every effort had been made to ensure they were maintained.

The ship has about 700 tonnes of fuel and 100 tonnes of other chemicals on board, causing concern about a possible environmental disaster should the hull be breached during the salvage operation.

"Our incident control centre is working around the clock and oil-spill response and environmental management teams remain on stand-by," Mr Tripodi said.

An exclusion zone will be enforced from 6am, with limited vehicle and pedestrian access to the beachfront.

Newcastle police said they expected huge crowds would gather around Nobbys Beach, but warned there would be limited vantage points to see the attempted refloat.

A spokesman for Svitzer Salvage, which is leading the operation, said the first attempt was scheduled to start between 6pm and 7pm today, if everything went to plan.