UK shipowner fined over Oz pollution incident

The charges relate to a collision between the pilot launch Wyuna III and a morning line discarded by Morning Midas in the early hours of 1 August 2012.

The 30-35m morning line was found discarded in the vicinity of the pilot boarding station outside Port Phillips Heads when Wyuna III collided with it, fouling its propellers and stalling both engines.

“An estimated 3,100 merchant vessels alone visit the port each year. Any danger to navigation posed by pollution such as a discarded mooring line could have catastrophic consequences for the safety of ships and potential environmental harm,” said Alex Schultz-Altmann, general manager, acting ship safety division, Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).

An AMSA investigation found charts indicating two GPS locations from Morning Midas’ deck log book and the site of the collision of the Wyuna III with the mooring line.

The location of the discharge was within Australian territorial waters in or near the pilot boarding ground and Morning Midas failed to report a danger to navigation posed by the mooring line.

“It is fortunate the unreported hazard of the discharged mooring line did not cause damage to the steering or propulsion of any larger commercial ships in the pilot boarding ground of Port Phillip heads,” added Mr Schultz-Altmann.