A rescue operation is underway to try to recover 21 crew members stranded on a cargo ship drifting towards the rocks in the middle of a wild sea near Sydney.
Deputy Police Commissioner Peter Thurtell said the bulkman lost energy and was moving towards the cliffs of Royal National Park, south of Sydney, shortly after leaving Wollongong around 7.30am. .
The boat is now double anchored a mile off the coast and authorities believe a tugboat that has just arrived at the site will prevent it from being pushed towards the cliffs.
A second tug is expected to arrive in two hours.
“I understand that the tugboat being shipped has the capacity to tow it further out to sea and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority will coordinate the resources needed to get it up and running out of its own power,” he said. Commissioner Thurtell.
A man showing the trajectory of Portland Bay on the NSW coast. (Provided by: MarineTraffic)
A plan to transport the air crew has been abandoned for being too dangerous at the moment, he said.
NSW Prime Minister Dominic Perrottet previously said emergency services were heading to the cargo ship to try to transport air to the safety of eight non-essential crew members.
“Obviously it’s a very precarious position and our thoughts are with those on board,” he said.
The ship is suffering from heavy rains and strong winds, part of a deluge that affects a 500-kilometer stretch of coastline from Newcastle to Bateman’s Bay in the south of the state.
Meteorological Office [BOM] Spokesman Jonathan Howe said Sydney residents are experiencing “a bit of a breather in the rain”, but a storm warning and a severe weather warning remain relevant.
Posted 2 hours 2 hours ago, Monday, July 4, 2022 at 12:09 AM, updated 19 minutes ago, 19 minutes ago, Monday, July 4, 2022 at 2:22 AM