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LINK'Panic stations': ship aground
Jano Gibson
June 8, 2007 - 10:34AM
A major emergency is underway in Newcastle with a bulk carrier ship breaking its mooring and running aground 50 metres off a beach this morning.
Authorities are frantically working to avert a potentially major environmental disaster as the ship, the Pasha Bulker, with 21 crew on board, threatens to move closer towards Nobbys Beach, near the Newcastle Baths.
Acting Inspector Kirren Steel, at Newcastle Police, told smh.com.au: "It's a bit of panic stations at the moment.''
She said the ship was "balancing just on the reef'' between 50 and 100 metres of the
beach.
Massive waves are crashing into and over the ship, with the bow swinging towards the beach.
The Pasha Bulker, a 250-metre long coal ship built last year, has 700 tonnes of heavy fuel and 34 tonnes of diesel on board.
It does not have any coal on board. It had been due to pick up a load 68,000 tonnes of coal on June 12.
The crew members will stay on board to help attach lines from two tug boats that have been mobilised.
Ships are normally anchored two to five kilometres off the coast but the wild weather, including winds over 100 kilometres an hour, had caused it to break its moorings.
Massive waves are crashing into and over the ship, with the bow swinging towards the beach.
Two ambulance helicopters are on the ground.
A spokesman for ambulance media said they would be launched after the Ports Authority's first attempts to pull the ship from where it is lodged.
"From what I understand the Ports Authority are putting their tug out to see if it can pull it off the reef. A command post has been set up there, with police and ambulance officers,'' he said.
A number of ambulances are in Nobbys car park waiting to treat crew as they are brought from the ship.
Ambulance media said there were 21 crew aboard, but no injuries had been reported.
- with Erik Jensen
Awesome :|