Bulk carrier ship runs aground off Port of Gladstone

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Recovery efforts are underway after a bulk carrier ship ran aground off Gladstone, in central Queensland.

The incident occurred when the Cape Falcon vessel, sailing under a Liberian flag, was attempting to anchor on Friday afternoon, six nautical miles east of the Port of Gladstone.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has launched an investigation, but said no injuries, hull breaches or pollution had been reported. An ATSB team arrived in Gladstone on Tuesday morning to attend the ship to conduct interviews and collect evidence.

Where is the Cape Falcon bulk carrier?

"In the meantime, data from the ship's voyage data recorder will be preserved and investigators will collect other relevant recorded information, including ship tracking data, weather information, and crew, operator and maintenance records," the statement read.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has detained the vessel, pending an assessment of its seaworthiness.

Maritime Safety Queensland, which operates under Transport and Main Roads (TMR), is leading the response operation. A spokesperson for TMR said the cargo ship ran aground at slow speed at 3:42pm on Friday while attempting to anchor in the bunkering anchorage. According to marine traffic logs, it had left the Hay Point Terminal at Mackay the day before. 

There have been two unsuccessful attempts to move the vessel. Ten harbour tugs were involved in the second refloat operation, carried out at high tide from 1pm to 4:30pm on Saturday, but it resulted in minimal movement of the vessel. 

"The vessel will remain aground while further salvage advice is sought on options to safely move it from its current position," the TMR spokesperson said.

The cargo ship is not blocking the shipping channel, but port operations have been impacted while recovery efforts continue.

The Cape Falcon bulk carrier was built in 2022 and is 292 metres long and 45 metres wide. It has a capacity of 182,066 tonnes. I is owned by Japanese joint-registered company Marugame Kisen Kaisha and La Darien Navegacion SA, which own a fleet of 14 container, bulk carrier and tanker vessels. 

It arrived in Australia earlier this month, arriving at the Port Dalrymple terminal in Tasmania from a journey to Shanghai and Jiangyin in China. 

Source: abc.net.au