The Campbell Cove tug was successfully lifted from the floor of the Mersey River. Unfortunately, the vessel was sitting in an unbalanced position when it was lifted requiring the Campbell Cove to be returned to the water for a new lift attempt at first light.
Posted
10 August 2022
The Campbell Cove wrecked tug was successfully lifted from the floor of the Mersey River today (10 August).
TasPorts chief operating officer Stephen Casey said unfortunately it was sitting in an unbalanced position when it was lifted.
“As a result, it was unsafe and near impossible to successfully lift the wreck into the specially constructed cradle waiting for it on the deck of the AAL Melbourne,” he said.
“Now that our salvors can see it they can adjust the chains and rigging to commence a new lift tomorrow.”
Mr Casey said the wreck would be returned to the water for a new lift attempt at first light.
“It is expected that the Campbell Cove will dewater or drain while it is out of the water into the containment area which can be skimmed overnight of any diesel or oil that drains from the wreck.”
Mr Casey said the lift was undertaken after significant preparatory works were completed following the successful lift of the York Cove.
“The safe landing of the York Cove into the cradle on board the AAL Melbourne to the satisfaction of the vessel’s Master for a sea voyage has been the major focus,” he said.
“That work was successfully completed late yesterday, which allowed the salvors to transfer the rigs to set up the Campbell Cove for lifting today.
“The Campbell Cove wreck will ultimately be welded to its cradle on the deck for transport to Brisbane where both wrecked tugs will be scrapped.”
Ben Cropley, the CEO of the Oil Response Company of Australia and who has more than 40 years’ experience in the industry, said his company’s work on the salvage operation was complex for a number of reasons.
“A salvage operation is complex in the best of circumstances,” he said.
“Oil recovery is a not a set and forget exercise – you need to be monitoring and adjusting the whole time.
“In the Mersey River we do not only have the challenge of what the tide is doing but we also have natural eddies in the area.
“I have worked on a lot of incidents where you can actually see the oil on top of the water and you know what it is doing.
“In this case, what was unknown was just how much diesel or oil was still in the wrecked tugs.”