Author Topic: Pasha Bulker aground Newcastle Australia  (Read 32105 times)

Offline Captain John K

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Re: Pasha Bulker aground Newcastle Australia
« Reply #30 on: June 17, 2007, 05:48:27 AM »
We have been getting a lot of participation for Australian Captains' on our Maritime Blog. We have written a half dozen posts covering the story with photos and video but one post has received the most attention. If your interested read the comments at the bottom: Pasha Bulker - Environmental Impact.  -John
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Offline Peter Karberg

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Re: Pasha Bulker aground Newcastle Australia
« Reply #31 on: June 18, 2007, 10:10:41 PM »
There are reports this morning that 12 metre seas are expected on the NSW Coast including Newcastle area this afternoon. This makes three major storms in as many weeks. Pasha Bulker is in for a tough time today.

Offline vokstar

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Re: Pasha Bulker aground Newcastle Australia
« Reply #32 on: June 20, 2007, 12:00:36 AM »
She's coping a pasting.  I've been looking at the webcam on coastalwatch and I think she might be moving a touch.  

It might be just the cam moving in the wind that is giving the effect, but it looks to me as she is moving.  I don't want to say how I think she maybe moving as it might cloud your judgement and I want a second oppionion.  

heres the coastalwatch link again just so you don't have to hunt for it.
Coastalwatch

Offline Peter Karberg

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Re: Pasha Bulker aground Newcastle Australia
« Reply #33 on: June 22, 2007, 06:26:50 AM »
I sure the port side has sunk lower into the sand. She seems to be listing more on that side more than I remember. It will take some moving. King Tide or not.

Offline spotti

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Re: Pasha Bulker aground Newcastle Australia
« Reply #34 on: June 23, 2007, 11:36:32 AM »
According to Danish news reports today the price tag for salving and repairing the vessel will be USD 35 million corresponding approximately to the value of the ship.
Scrapping on the beach is a likely conclusion. It will
take around 6 months to remove the 12,000 tonnes of steel.

Br
Niels


Offline hawkinsg

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Re: Pasha Bulker aground Newcastle Australia
« Reply #36 on: June 24, 2007, 11:34:44 PM »
Word round Newcastle is that on the evening of June 7 the Newcastle Port Company broadcast a storm warning to all the ships laying at anchor off the coast and recommended they weigh anchor and head out to sea. Most complied even though they were lightly ballasted. But 4 ships including the Pasha Bulker decided to remain (possibly at the direction to their masters by owners) in their anchored state. Early the following morning when the full force of the storm hit the Newcastle area the masters of these ships rather belatedly decided to weigh anchor and get underway. 2 ships successfully moved off shore, 1 almost ran aground off Stockton Beach north of Newcastle until directed to take assistance from tugs (got within 600m of the beach) and the Pasha Bulker, despite getting her engine going, lost control and came ashore at Nobby's Beach. Seems she was so high out of the water her propellor could not get any bite.

Offline Captain John K

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Re: Pasha Bulker aground Newcastle Australia
« Reply #37 on: June 25, 2007, 02:02:34 AM »
We got this comment from our Newcastle Maritime "expert" Ian on our Pasha Bulker story.

Quote
Local radio this morning, interviewed
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Offline Stuart Scott

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Re: Pasha Bulker aground Newcastle Australia
« Reply #38 on: June 28, 2007, 06:54:39 AM »
It's 17:00 here on the Australian East Coast, and deballasting of 'Pasha Bulker' has commenced in preparation for a refloating attempt on the high tide tonight at 19:00.

The web-cam has been relocated to put the vessel in left frame, so movement off the beach will be visible.

Fingers crossed, and good luck to the Svitzer salvage team!

Stuart

Offline Richard Matterson

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Re: Pasha Bulker aground Newcastle Australia
« Reply #39 on: June 28, 2007, 09:38:33 AM »
At 1930 local time you can clearly see her pivoting in the swell.

Offline Timsen

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Re: Pasha Bulker aground Newcastle Australia
« Reply #40 on: June 28, 2007, 12:34:17 PM »
the best chance of salvaging the stranded bulk carrier "Pasha Bulker" off Nobbys Beach in Newcastle passed after a tow cable snapped on June 28.
A steel cable being used by a tug to pull the bow of the ship off the beach had broken. The cable was attached to the "Keera", one of three tugs being used in the attempt to move the ship. Tow lines attached to the other two tugs and three anchor lines remained intact. The peak tide has passed and is slowly receding, but there is still a window over the next three hours to make it happen. The attempt could be called off as early as 9pm (11pm NZT) because of the receding tide. The "Keera" left the scene of the salvage attempt after its cable broke. The attempt to refloat the ship, which began earlier on June 28 when its ballast was emptied, was being carried out in high winds and heavy rain.

Offline spotti

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Re: Pasha Bulker aground Newcastle Australia
« Reply #41 on: June 28, 2007, 09:53:06 PM »
She is taking some heavy beating right now on this Australian morning. However, the radar is working (!!).

Sad to see a fine ship in this condition.

Br
Niels

Offline Mats

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Re: Pasha Bulker aground Newcastle Australia
« Reply #42 on: June 29, 2007, 08:35:27 AM »
Looking at her on the Nobby Beach webcam we can see her being ponded by massive waves now, and she is moving with the waves again. A sad sight indeed.

Mats
Oslo

Offline Timsen

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Re: Pasha Bulker aground Newcastle Australia
« Reply #43 on: June 29, 2007, 09:33:29 AM »
A new attempt will be made on Saturday to refloat the coal carrier Pasha Bulker after the replacement of towing cables and a sea anchor that broke under the strain of the salvage operation.

Salvage crews will wait until Saturday night's high tide around 8pm (AEST) to mount a second bid to free the ship, which ran aground off Nobbys Beach at Newcastle during a storm on June 8.

The first attempt to pull the Pasha Bulker back to sea began on Thursday night in heavy seas, high winds and sheeting rain.

It got off to an ominous start when one of the towlines attached to a tug snapped.

On Friday morning, just minutes after Ports Minister Joe Tripodi said the three tugs involved in the operation would begin their second attempt on Friday night, a cable to the lead salvage tug Pacific Responder also failed.

Within 30 minutes of that break, one of three sea anchors broke free, leaving two sea anchors and one tug to hold the bulkship as it was thrown about in the heavy surf.

Soon after, the salvage crew decided to abort Friday night's attempt and ordered the ship's ballast tanks be filled with water once more to stabilise it in the surf.

The ballast will be pumped out again before any attempt to refloat the ship.

The massive task is being undertaken by the Dutch marine salvage company, Svitzer Salvage.

Mr Tripodi on Friday morning remained upbeat about the prospects of the salvage operation, which involves pulling the bow of the beached ship around towards the open sea.

"Further progress overnight, including another one degree of movement, has taken total movement to nine degrees since yesterday (Thursday) evening's high tide," he said.

"The salvage team has advised it will concentrate on preparing the Pasha Bulker today ahead of the attempted refloat on Saturday."

Mr Tripodi said Saturday night's 1.9 metre high tide forecast for 8.13pm would provide optimal conditions to refloat the 40,000 tonne vessel.

A Newcastle Ports spokeswoman said that at some time on Friday, a cable was to be reattached to the tug boat Keera.

The spokeswoman said the Pacific Responder had recovered the broken sea anchor and taken it into Newcastle Harbour for inspection.

On Saturday morning the sea anchor would be set in place again and the Pacific Responder would then reattach its own line to the ship.

During attempts to pull the ship to sea, winches on board the Pasha Bulker will wind in the cables attached to the sea anchors, helping the tugs in their efforts.

On Friday three cables remained attached to the Pasha Bulker - one connecting it the tug Woona, and two running to sea anchors.

The salvage team is believed to be working in a window of favourable tides that will end on July 4.

Gale force winds are forecast for coastal areas around Newcastle on Saturday but authorities remain optimistic the operation will proceed as planned.

National Coordinator of the International Transport Workers Federation, Dean Summers, called on the federal government to introduce laws that would force ships using Australian ports to comply with Australian regulations.

He said he had no evidence linking the grounding of the Pasha Bulker with its trading status.

"But we want to ask if the deregulation of this vessel had anything to do with the grounding of it," Mr Summers said.

"Did the fact that it's an unregulated ship mean it was a contributing factor to this tragedy?"

Mr Summers said masters of many ships under flags of convenience were put under more commercial stress and pressures than they would be if they were skippering a nationally flagged ship.

He would not be drawn on the effectiveness of plans for the salvage attempt, but praised the salvage crews as some of the finest seamen in the world

Offline Jens Heri

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Re: Pasha Bulker aground Newcastle Australia
« Reply #44 on: June 30, 2007, 10:46:02 PM »
Different picture from Pasha Bulker now on coastalwatch.

Smoke coming from then funnel and maybe she is moving.

 

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