A Singaporean-flagged container ship in trouble off Narooma is currently being emergency towed along the South Coast to Sydney.
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The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said the ship, MV RIO MADEIRA (which is larger than the Portland Bay carrier which got into trouble off the Royal National Park in July), suffered a power failure before midnight on Thursday October 20 and began to drift.
AMSA tasked a specialised emergency towing vessel, the ETV Svitzer Glenrock, from Newcastle to assist with providing towing assistance, arriving to the ship on Saturday afternoon.
AMSA was advised the vessel had restored propulsion at about 3.25pm prior to tow connection, and was proceeding under its own power with continuous monitoring to ensure all systems are running normally. The ship is estimated to arrive at Sydney at 11:30am under escort.
The ship and the 27 crew are not in immediate danger of impacting the coast, while authorities are closely monitoring the ship.
"AMSA has tasked a specialised emergency towing vessel, ETV Svitzer Glenrock, from Newcastle to assist with providing towing assistance to MV Rio Madeira," an AMSA spokesperson said.
Ship tracking shows the carrier had been drifting parallel to the coast, and was much further offshore than the Portland Bay was when emergency crews started that rescue mission.
The Glenrock, which was pivotal in the Portland Bay rescue, had reached waters off Sussex Inlet just before 9am.
Craig Gibson, who was one of the three masters on board during the July rescue, has Tweeted his support for his colleagues, saying "Go and save another one team!!"
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Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
