Floating Containers on the South Coast

The container vessel APL England – that is the large container ship that was on passage FROM China TO Melbourne which lost power (yes their engines stopped) close to the NSW South Coast and dumped containers into the sea.

It was heading south on Sunday when there were very heavy seas built up because of the East Coast Low with high winds and wave/swell of more than 7 meters. The vessel engines stopped and the ship drifted out of control to lie abeam on (sideways) to the wind, swell and the southern flowing current. At this point the vessel with minimum draft, high windage and very heavy load above the waterline started to roll back and forth. Some mariners call this a death roll.

At this point the structure of the container support were put under stress and it was found that (still to be confirmed) the supports were rusted and gave way. The securing structure of locking units and bracing wires are also suspect.

It is still unclear how many containers fell overboard but it is estimated at least 40.

The public has seen household appliances, building material and medical supplies (Chinese made face masks) being washed up on beaches just south of Sydney. Some of the refrigerated container are insulated with foam so these tend to float on the surface and wash ashore or more dangerously float with the current along the South Coast into the Southern Ocean.

This is a major danger to shipping and to fishing trawlers and recreational vessels. So if possible keep a good look out when traversing the coast as soon as the lock-down is eased.

The two questions AMSA is investigating: Does this foreign flagged vessel comply with Australian and international safety standards and did it breach any Australian environmental protection regulations.

However a more important question is why did the engines stop and what actions did the Master take to mitigate the pending disaster (ship wreck) AND when did the local authorities know and what did they do?

When will the boating public and boating Association be given the drift modelling to warn the boating communities of this pending danger on the surface or just below.

If you see any debris or a floating container call NSW Maritime 13 12 36 or report it to incident@transport.nsw.gov.au