Oil Released from Broken Vessel

The Australian Maritime Safety Agency (AMSA) has activated Australia's National Plan to Combat Pollution of the Sea by Oil and other Noxious and Hazardous Substances (the National Plan) on 9th January 2012 for the broken vessel MV Tycoon in Christmas Island. The vessel contained oil and phosphor, which were lost when the the ship broke. 

 

Beach cleanup continued over the weekend with the cleaning of oiled rocks. A further two bulk bags of waste have been collected, taking the total to 51 for the response.

 

The National Response Team Wildlife Coordinator has undertaken a survey of the island and has commenced site inspections. All potential areas of impact from oil have been inspected each day and no oil has been reported.

 

Areas of potential wildlife impact have also been inspected and no further reports of oiled wildlife have been made. Baby red crabs continue to migrate inland from the sea.

 

In total 10 people have been deployed from the National Response Team to the island.

The vessel's condition has not changed in the past couple of days. It is still sitting comfortably on the bottom and further significant structural damage has not been observed. A small amount of residual oil is leaking from the ship.

 

Government officials are liaising with representatives of the ship's owners and representatives of the ship's insurers about the ultimate removal of the vessel from its current location. Those representatives are working with specialist salvage companies to assess the vessel and develop proposals for its removal. This is a complex process and likely to take several months.

 

The Australian Federal Police have confirmed they have opened an investigation into whether there have been any offences committed. They are working with AMSA and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB). ATSB is conducting a separate investigation into the causes of the incident. It has finished interviewing the crew and other witnesses and is now liaising with salvors to arrange the recovery of documents and inspect the port's mooring arrangements. It will publish an interim factual report 30 days after the incident.

Wreck removal is a complex and highly technical operation. The owners are seeking salvage and other specialist technical advice in regards to the removal of the wreck from the area. An official is on the island and the salvage company representatives will arrive today. Their initial focus is to assess the situation and plan a response strategy for the owner.

 

The vessel has sunk in shallow water adjacent to a rock wall and close to the wharf. It is believed to have broken in half due to the pounding from the rough seas.