Draneidan
28-06-2007, 12:44
http://www.stuff.co.nz/images/300896.jpg
June 28, 2007 - 9:36PM
VALIANT salvage attempts managed to move but failed to free the stranded Pasha Bulker off Nobbys Beach in Newcastle last night.
Efforts were going well until a steel tow cable snapped shortly before high tide about 7pm, dashing hopes that the city could wave goodbye to the carrier by this morning.
The Ports Minister, Joe Tripodi, said the cable connecting the tug Keera to the boat's stern broke but lines attached to two other tugs and three anchors remained strong.
Authorities remained optimistic that the ship could be moved after the operation managed to move the bow by up to 8 degrees.
Mr Tripodi could not say whether the cable had snapped or an attachment point had failed, but the Keera was no longer attached - leaving three lines attached to the bow but just two to the stern.
The operation went on until late last night and will continue today with another very high tide tonight and a third on Saturday.
"There is movement," Mr Tripodi said. "There is movement up and across. Apart from a line parting, progress is good. We still have five lines pulling quite strong."
'We want to get the bow around first," Mr Tripodi said. "We need to get it pointed in the right direction."
As icy wind and rain whipped the coast, the sea was still as the city waited for the tide that might lift the 40,000-tonne Pasha Bulker and take it out to sea.
Police blocked off parts of the city's east as a safety precaution as residents crowded under any shelter they could find to watch. Others followed live reports on radio.
Many residents had mixed feelings. One said: "That ship is like our new best friend."
Rick Addy travelled from Wyee on the Central Coast to watch the salvage operation. "Just to have a look at a once-in-a-lifetime thing, I would definitely like to see it taken out to sea," Mr Addy said, standing stoically in the rain.
But a Newcastle resident, Margaret Roberts, was not a fan. "I would like to have our beach back."
The carrier was stranded in wild storms almost three weeks ago and has been a tourist attraction ever since.
Salvage crews were waiting for the right conditions to refloat the vessel, which is understood to have suffered extensive damage to its hull. Earlier in the week three huge anchors were sunk offshore and attached by cables to winches on the ship.
Source: http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/saving-the-pasha-bulker/2007/06/28/1182624044139.html
June 28, 2007 - 9:36PM
VALIANT salvage attempts managed to move but failed to free the stranded Pasha Bulker off Nobbys Beach in Newcastle last night.
Efforts were going well until a steel tow cable snapped shortly before high tide about 7pm, dashing hopes that the city could wave goodbye to the carrier by this morning.
The Ports Minister, Joe Tripodi, said the cable connecting the tug Keera to the boat's stern broke but lines attached to two other tugs and three anchors remained strong.
Authorities remained optimistic that the ship could be moved after the operation managed to move the bow by up to 8 degrees.
Mr Tripodi could not say whether the cable had snapped or an attachment point had failed, but the Keera was no longer attached - leaving three lines attached to the bow but just two to the stern.
The operation went on until late last night and will continue today with another very high tide tonight and a third on Saturday.
"There is movement," Mr Tripodi said. "There is movement up and across. Apart from a line parting, progress is good. We still have five lines pulling quite strong."
'We want to get the bow around first," Mr Tripodi said. "We need to get it pointed in the right direction."
As icy wind and rain whipped the coast, the sea was still as the city waited for the tide that might lift the 40,000-tonne Pasha Bulker and take it out to sea.
Police blocked off parts of the city's east as a safety precaution as residents crowded under any shelter they could find to watch. Others followed live reports on radio.
Many residents had mixed feelings. One said: "That ship is like our new best friend."
Rick Addy travelled from Wyee on the Central Coast to watch the salvage operation. "Just to have a look at a once-in-a-lifetime thing, I would definitely like to see it taken out to sea," Mr Addy said, standing stoically in the rain.
But a Newcastle resident, Margaret Roberts, was not a fan. "I would like to have our beach back."
The carrier was stranded in wild storms almost three weeks ago and has been a tourist attraction ever since.
Salvage crews were waiting for the right conditions to refloat the vessel, which is understood to have suffered extensive damage to its hull. Earlier in the week three huge anchors were sunk offshore and attached by cables to winches on the ship.
Source: http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/saving-the-pasha-bulker/2007/06/28/1182624044139.html