Sudbury Reef News

Speed will be of the essence as salvage crews attempt to stop fuel leaking from the sunken New Zealand naval ship off the coast of Samoa.The HMNZS Manawanui ran aground last weekend on a reef about one nautical mile off the south coast of Upolu, Samoa’s most populated island. The specialist dive and hydrographic vessel was on its third deployment, conducting a reef survey, when it caught fire and sank.The ship has come to rest at a depth of up to 150 metres, which means it may be relatively undisturbed even during storms.

A Malaysian container ship grounded on Australia's Great Barrier Reef for 12 days with dangerous chemicals aboard was pulled free on Tuesday, state officials said. Four tug boats were used in the operation after two earlier attempts to free the 600 ft. (184-m) Bunga Teratai Satu from the World Heritage-listed reef had failed. Winches on board the ship and connected to anchors on the sea floor were also used. It was reported that there were no immediate signs of pollution. The 21,000-dwt ship would be pulled to deeper water for a hull inspection. Salvage workers used dynamite to blow up part of the reef in a failed bid to free the ship on Sunday. The vessel ran aground on November 2 on Sudbury Reef approximately 30 miles east of Cairns in Australia's tropical north.

A second bid failed on Thursday to refloat a Malaysian ship carrying dangerous chemicals stranded on Australia's Great Barrier Reef but authorities said they would launch a new all-out effort on the weekend, Reuters reported. Queensland state Transport Minister Steve Bredhauer said three ocean-going tugs were unable to pull the 184-metre (600-ft) Bunga Teratai Satu off Sudbury Reef, despite early indications of improved buoyancy at high tide. "It is expected the next refloat operation will take place on the weekend, possibly early on Sunday morning when the tides will be more favorable," he said. An initial bid to move the stranded ship failed on Wednesday.

Salvage services with environmental objectives are undervalued, according to the International Salvage Union. ISU President Joop Timmermans told some 200 delegates at the March 2003 Fourth International Marine Salvage Conference: “In the ISU’s view, environmental defense – as a function of salvage – is undervalued. The ISU–sponsored conference was held at the London headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Joop Timmermans said the salvor’s reward for his traditional role, property recovery, was related to the value of that property. As for any additional value placed on environmental – or public interest – salvage services, the Special Compensation provided under Article 14 of the Salvage Convention is confined, essentially, to the reimbursement of expenses.