#20 with Steve Raaymakers and Jamie Storrie

REEF SHIPPING -
five close calls in two years

Of these five incidents it is interesting to note that:

• four were groundings;
• of these four groundings, three occurred between the hours of 2.00 a.m. and 6.00 a.m.;
• three of the groundings (for which the cause is known) were caused by human error; and
• two of the vessels were not calling at Queensland ports.

The five incidents are outlined below.

1.   Grounding of Australian flagged tanker Conus - Townsville Port

The Conus, a 31 950 dry weight tonne oil tanker, grounded in the port channel whilst departing the Port of Townsville on 12 January 1995 (refer to Slick Talk #12, Reef Research, March 1995). The vessel grounded on soft seabed and was undamaged by the impact. The Conus was refloated forty-five minutes after grounding.

The Conus grounded because it had been unable to achieve sufficient speed to maintain steerage against the prevailing winds. This caused the vessel to veer off course into the side of the channel. The incident investigation conducted by the Queensland and Commonwealth Departments of Transport concluded that the port Pilot did not take into account the strength of the wind when making departure plans and that the Master of the Conus and the Pilot did not develop a departure plan specific to the conditions: instead they relied upon a standard departure plan.

The grounding did not represent a serious risk of pollution but does serve to demonstrate the ease with which such incidents can occur.

A similar but less serious grounding occurred as the San Paulo departed from the Port of Townsville on 12 August 1996.

2.   Grounding of German flagged container ship Carola - South Ledge Reef

The Carola grounded on South Ledge Reef (Far Northern Section) at approximately 5.00 a.m. on 30 March 1995. The vessel grounded hard and caused significant local damage to the reef (refer What's Out There? Reef Research, June 1995). The fore peak of the Carola was breached and water entered through the bow. The vessel's pumps were able to cope with the influx of water and the Carola was refloated approximately six hours after grounding.

The grounding was caused by the Mate falling asleep on watch and failing to wake the Reef Pilot who had to make a course change at a designated way point. The Mate's drowsiness was due to a lack of sleep and the consumption of several beers four hours prior to going on watch. No blame could be attributed to the Pilot.

3.   Chinese flagged bulk carrier MS Ever Bright - southern Great Barrier Reef

The MS Ever Bright was on a ballast passage from Taiwan to Newcastle. The Ever Bright experienced mechanical failure early on 25 April 1995, at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. The vessel drifted some 160 nautical miles north-easterly whilst repairs were attempted to the engine. The vessel's engines were tested on 29 April 1995 but failed. The Ever Bright then anchored in 90 metres of water off the Swain reefs. A salvage company was contracted by the owners and subsequently the vessel was towed to Gladstone for repairs.

Though the Ever Bright had lost power, maritime authorities were not notified of the incident until 27 October 1995. This incident demonstrates the reluctance of ship owners and masters to notify authorities of incidents involving their ships. This is generally due to worries that authorities may place restrictions upon the movement and operation of their vessel. In the case of the Ever Bright it is possible that early notification would have seen an intervention order placed on the vessel, forcing the owners to contract a salvage company. Such considerations are part of the reasoning behind the compulsory reporting system for ships which is being implemented throughout the Great Barrier Reef next calendar year (1997).

4.   Danish flagged container ship Svendborg Guardian - Kurrimine Beach

The Svendborg Guardian was en route Townsville to Papua New Guinea when it grounded on Kurrimine Beach (Cairns Section) at about 6.00 a.m. on 24 June 1995. The vessel was undamaged in the incident and refloated twelve hours later. The grounding was serious enough that oil spill response equipment was deployed to the site. The vessel's hull remained intact and no pollution resulted.

Similar to the Carola incident, the Svendborg Guardian grounded as a result of the Second Mate falling asleep in his cabin when he was supposed to be on watch. The vessel was effectively out of control for five hours and a course correction was not made at 4.00 a.m., some two hours before grounding. The bridge itself was manned only by one crew member during this period, which is contrary to Australian regulations.

Again, similar to the Carola incident, the Second Mate fell asleep due to inadequate rest and possibly due to consumption of alcohol prior to boarding the vessel for departure.

5.   Grounding of Panamanian flagged refrigerated cargo carrier MV Peacock - Piper Reef

The MV Peacock grounded on Piper Reef (Far Northern Section) at approximately 2.00 a.m. on 18 July 1996, whilst en route from Singapore to New Zealand via the inner Great Barrier Reef route. The Peacock was unladen at the time of grounding, but was carrying 670 tonnes of various fuel oils. The Peacock remained grounded for a period of ten days whilst awaiting suitable tides for refloating. None of the vessel's fuel was released by the grounding. The vessel did have a Reef Pilot on board at the time of grounding.

The Peacock grounding led to one of the largest response operations to a maritime casualty within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. State and National resources were deployed on site to safeguard against possible releases of oil whilst the vessel was stranded. Fortunately the Peacock was refloated without incident.

There are as yet no findings as to how the Peacock came to ground on Piper Reef. An investigation is currently being carried out by the Commonwealth Department of Transport to determine the reasons behind the grounding.

In recent years significant effort has been directed by State and Commonwealth Governments towards improving prevention of shipping incidents in the Great Barrier Reef including:

• implementation of compulsory pilotage;
• deregulation of reef pilotage and transfer of pilotage control from Queensland to the Commonwealth;
• the identification of alternative routes by the Hydrographer including the charting of an outer Great Barrier Reef shipping route;
• implementation of a vessel reporting system;
• planning and implementation of a reef-wide differential global positioning system and radar system to aid navigation; and
• improving the information supplied to the public and shipping industry about the Great Barrier Reef.

Five concerning incidents in two years suggests such efforts are absolutely vital and may even require enhancement to bring this frequency of incidents down to an acceptable level. Even if transit shipping not calling at Queensland ports is phased out in the Great Barrier Reef inner route, all Queensland ports are undergoing growth with resulting increases in reef shipping.

Improvements in shipping incident prevention systems must address this increasing risk as well as the current risk.

Steve Raaymakers is currently the Environment Manager with the Queensland Ports Corporation. The views expressed by his continued authorship of 'Slick Talk' are not necessarily those of the Ports Corporation nor the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Jamie Storrie is currently Project Officer, Shipping and Maritime Pollution Response with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

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Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
PO Box 1379 TOWNSVILLE QLD 4810. Phone: (077) 500 700, Fax: (077) 726 093
E-mail: registry@gbrmpa.gov.au