Coal Ship Taken to Port to Offload Cargo

Chinese coal ship being brought to Gladstone for salvage operation.

The Shen Neng 1is being brought to the port of Gladstone to unload coal and undergo
repairs before being towed overseas said the Australian authorities overseeing the ship’s towage.

“Because it was so damaged in the grounding the ship probably needs to have a
significant amount of coal unloaded and potentially have some temporary repairs
undertaken before it leaves Australian waters,” said Patrick Quirk of the Maritime Safety Queensland. “But make no mistake, while it remains in our waters we’ll be taking every possible precaution to ensure we take care of the ship and minimize the risk of further oil discharge.”


Quirk also announced the initial assessment by salvage experts has shown the ship’s hull has been breached in at least two places with dents and cracking along its length.
He said: “A deep sea tow in its current condition presents too big a risk for further pollution and danger to seafarers.”

The agency said in its daily briefing that the current situation is stable with no oil leaking and with majority of oil remaining on board is in secure places on the ship.

The Regional Harbor Master of Gladstone and number of port pilots will board the vessel prior to its entry into the port to ensure full familiarity with the vessel and its handling characteristics in a towed condition.

The towage of the vessel will take around 18 to 24 hours to be towed to the port and then around another seven hours for it to enter and made secure at #4 berth at the RG Tanna Coal Terminal.