The wrecks of the tugs YORK COVE & CAMPBELL COVE chained to the deck of the AAL MELBOURNE. 14/08/2022

Incident

At approx. midday on the 28th of January, 2022, the cement carrier GOLIATH (IMO: 9036430) was manoeuvring to berth in its homeport Devonport - an undertaking the ship has been doing successfully for 29 years. During the berthing attempt, the ship had collided with the nearby berthed tug YORK COVE, consequently crushing a second tug the CAMPBELL COVE that was berthed alongside of it in the process. Both tugs sustained substantial damage and had sunk in the Mersey River within a few hours. A third tug (WILGA) had narrowly escaped the collision. The cement carrier GOLIATH suffered only minor damage at the bulbous bow.

Fortunately, there were no crew on board both tugs at the time, and no one was injured nearby during the incident.

The Salvage of YORK COVE

AAL MELBOURNE (a cargo ship with heavy lifting capabilities) had berthed in the Port of Devonport at 5am on the 7th of August to undertake the lift of the YORK COVE – 191 days after the incident. The lifting operation was a very slow process and needed to be as a result of wind and river currents, the poor structural condition of the wrecked tug, as well as the lifting ship needing to constantly pump its ballast tanks to remain upright once the tug (weighing 310 tonnes) was lifted off the bottom of the Mersey River.

A large turnout of the local community had jam-packed the footpath along Formby Road (one of the main roads leading into the Devonport CBD) to witness the salvage. A senior resident had noted that the traffic on Formby Road has never been as populated over the duration of hours as it was on this day. The salvage operation was also the day’s leading TV news story across Tasmania.

The Salvage of CAMPBELL COVE

The first attempt at lifting the second wreck commenced 3 days later (10th of August). This lifting attempt had failed as the wreck was held unbalanced by the lifting slings - this would have made further lifting unsafe and necessitated that the tug be lowered back down into the river where realignment of the lifting equipment could then take place.

The second lift of the CAMPBELL COVE occurred the next day (11th of August) and was a very slow process; it wasn’t until nightfall when the wreck was lifted at approximately a metre above water. This allowed for the draining of what was largely sea water, mud, silt, and likely some oil.

Once drained, the wreck weighed around 450 tonnes – normally tugs the size of CAMPBELL COVE weigh around 310 tonnes. To make the lifting process safer, salvors worked overnight to reduce the weight of the wreck by removing 8 tonnes of fuel, mud and marine growth, and any remaining water trapped inside of the wreck.
At 8am the next day (12th of August), the wreck’s weight was reduced - weighing around 360 tonnes. It was now considered safe enough to continue with the lifting operation. By afternoon, CAMPBELL COVE was successfully transferred onto the deck of the AAL Melbourne.

The successful salvage of YORK COVE & CAMPBELL COVE

Lifting ship AAL MELBOURNE departed Devonport for Brisbane on the 16th of August with the wrecks of YORK COVE & CAMPBELL COVE chained and secured on board. AAL MELBOURNE berthed in the Port of Brisbane on the 20th of August to deliver the YORK COVE & CAMPBELL COVE to a salvage yard dedicated to scrapping maritime assets.

More than 100 people had been working on the salvage project over the past 7 months. The salvaging company involved (United Salvage) have international experience in this field of work and have stated that the salvage of YORK COVE & CAMPBELL COVE was one of the most complex salvage activities they had ever undertaken.

YORK COVE

History of Name Changes

1990-1997: HOKUYO MARU No.2
1997-1998: SEVEN STAR
1998-2022: YORK COVE

Type: Tug
Flag: Australian | Home Port: Hobart | Call Sign: VJT5694
IMO: 8844244 | MMSI: 503539400
Owner & Manager: TasPorts – Launceston, Australia
Year Built: 1990 | Country of Build: Japan | Builder: Ryochu Kairiku Unyu
Length: 28.1 m | Beam: 8 m | Draught: 3.35 m
GT: 216 | DWT: 58
Propulsion: 2x Nigatta Azimuthing Z Peller Thrusters
Bollard Pull (tonnes): 28
Speed: 13 knots

CAMPBELL COVE

Type: Tug | Design: Pirate Class
Flag: Australian | Port of Registry: Sydney | Call Sign: VJT6270
IMO: 7606023 | MMSI: 503479000
Owner & Manager: TasPorts - Launceston, Australia
Year Built: 1976 | Country of Build: AUS | Builder: Carrington Slipways | Location of Yard: Tomago
Keel Laid: 2.2.1976 | Launch Date: 10.5.1976 | Date of Completion: 10.6.1976
Length: 26.35 m | Beam: 10 m | Draught: 4 m
GT: 266
Bollard Pull (tonnes): 34
Propulsion: 2x Fixed Pitch Steerable Nozzles
Speed: 11.5 knots