Ship Could be Stranded for Weeks

Port authorities are unable to predict how long it will take to refloat the 40,000 ton coal ship Pasha Bulker, stranded off a Newcastle beach, according to the West Australian. A Newcastle Port Corporation spokesman said the situation would be clearer once the 20-man salvage team, which spent its fifth day aboard the grounded bulk carrier, completed its detailed plan.

Equipment to contain an oil spill was being moved from Newcastle port to a holding area in a carpark at Nobby's Beach, where it can be moved quickly in the event of a fuel leak from the ship, which has been wedged on a sandbar since Friday. The team has found a breach in the vessel's outer hull but a secondary inner hull remains intact. Work aboard the vessel continued to fill or "ballast" a massive cargo hold with seawater, in a bid to fix the ship more firmly on the seafloor and prevent any further movement and potential damage. Work also continued to pump the ship's load of fuel into higher parts of the vessel, away from vulnerable areas. Source: West Australian