Australia storm beaches ship; 2 more in distress

Sydney, June 8: Stormy seas beached a 40,000 tonne coal ship with 21 aboard in Australia today, sparking a major rescue operation which saw crew members airlifted off the stricken vessel in gale force winds.

Two other bulk carriers issued distress calls as huge seas dragged them towards the coast, but officials said their anchors were now holding, although one was only a kilometre from shore.

The ''Pasha Bulker'' had been anchored off the coal port of Newcastle on Australia's east coast awaiting entry when waves as high as four metres and gale force winds swept it onto a reef and Nobbys Beach.

''It's getting absolutely belted at the moment, it's an amazing sight, the spray coming right over the top of this huge tanker,'' one eyewitness told local media.

Plans for tugs to pull the ship out to sea were abandoned due to the rough seas. With winds over 100 kmh, two rescue helicopters airlifted crew off the stricken ship.

''We have two helicopters hoisting the crew off the vessel and taking them to shore. They are being dropped on the beach,'' said Peter Cummings, a spokesman for the rescue helicopters.

''We have got 10 crew off at the moment,'' said Cummings, adding the crew had not suffered any injuries.

Waterfront unions said the crew was Filipino and feared the ship would break up.

''Rather than being broken up onto rocks and washed out into that ocean they are set to jump, so it has made it an urgency for the evacuation of the ship,'' Dean Summers from the International Transport Federation told local radio.

Environmentalists said they feared that if the ship breaks up it would spill its fuel, causing a marine disaster.

''If this ship breaks up, spilling thousands of litres of heavy fuel into the ocean, it will be a tragedy for the marine environment in the area,'' said Greens politician Ian Cohen.

''It is lucky that the ship empty of cargo or the risks would be even worse,'' Cohen said in a statement.

The bulk carrier ''Sea Confidence'' was dragged to within about a kilometre of Stockton Beach, north of Newcastle, said a spokesman for the New South Wales state ports minister.

While the bulk carrier ''Bitis'' issued a call for help as it was dragged towards another beach near Newcastle.

Both ships had managed to secure their anchors, said the ports minister's spokesman.

Newcastle is one of Australia's largest coal export terminals but delays in loading have resulted in ships queuing some two to three km offshore.

Newcastle Port authorities said there were currently 58 ships anchored offshore. The ships will supply coal to power stations in Asia, especially Japan, but also Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong.

Port authorities said the storm and the stricken Pasha Bulker are not expected to delay loading, as ships routinely wait for calmer conditions before entering port and the ship had not blocked the entrance to the port.

''Its hard to see this having a major impact on the coal market.

One ship would not make such a huge difference,'' said one coal industry analyst.

Reuters>