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Report: Stormy winds overwhelmed mooring lines
The 'Viking Passama' drifted more than 100 metres from its berth in the port of Brisbane after hurricane-force winds overwhelmed its mooring lines during a violent storm, according to an interim report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), which revealed how the pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) was completing its berthing manoeuvre at Fisherman Islands on Nov 18, 2025 when a fast-moving thunderstorm swept across the port. Anticipating a rapid wind shift, the pilot instructed both attending tugs to push the vessel against the berth, but gusts of over 70 knots (130 km/h) soon forced the ship away from the quay. As the vessel surged under the force of the wind, spring lines parted under extreme tension, damaging hydraulic pipework and disabling the aft mooring winches. Despite both tugs operating at full power, the remaining mooring lines also failed, resulting in the 'Viking Passama' drifting around 120 metres into the navigation channel before the winds eased sufficiently for the tugs to regain control and return the vessel safely alongside. One tug remained connected after berthing because of the damaged mooring equipment. The incident formed part of a wider weather emergency at the port of Brisbane, where four vessels broke free from their moorings during the severe thunderstorm. Three container ships parted all mooring lines, with one subsequently grounding, while emergency assistance for some vessels was delayed as pilots and tug crews were unable to reach the port because of road flooding and traffic congestion. The ATSB’s interim report did not identify the causes of the breakaways but outlines the sequence of events and the escalating weather conditions, with severe thunderstorm warnings issued throughout the afternoon prompting high-windage vessels to deploy additional mooring lines.
Australian Transport Safety Bureau released interim report amid ongoing investigations into breakaway of ships in Brisbane
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has released an interim report detailing its ongoing investigation into the breakaway of multiple vessels at the Port of Brisbane on Nov 24, 2025. Hot and humid weather conditions across South East Queensland had prompted the Bureau of Meteorology to issue marine forecasts warning of afternoon and evening thunderstorms. Following this, the State Disaster Coordination Centre issued a briefing warning of potential isolated, very dangerous thunderstorms with locally destructive winds and giant hail, prompting the regional harbour master to distribute warnings to port stakeholders. The inbound 'Viking Passama' had already committed to its approach and was passing mooring lines ashore at Fisherman Islands berth one when the storm front hit. Extreme wind gusts peaking at 71 knots forced the ship off its fenders, causing both aft spring lines to part and sever the aft winch hydraulic control pipes. The vessel broke completely free, parting all remaining lines and drifting approximately 120 metres into the channel before assisting tugs could safely push it back alongside. The severe winds also parted the aft mooring lines of the container m/v 'Volans' (IMO: 9430777), swinging its stern 135 degrees out into the adjacent shipping channel, while its bow remained held by two headlines and its port anchor.Simultaneously, another container m/v, the 'Wide India' (IMO: 9698252), broke completely free from its berth after its lines parted violently. Deprived of a VTS warning broadcast, the master was alerted by departing stevedores and used the main engine, bow thruster, and a dredged starboard anchor to maintain minimum steering speed upriver, narrowly navigating around the protruding stern of Volans. Nearby, the container m/v 'MSC Barbara' (IMO: 9226932) broke away from its moorings, after intense wind forces caused its winch brakes to render. As the ship was forced off the berth, its mooring lines ran completely off the winch drums and streamed across the channel. Lacking immediate main engine propulsion, the vessel drifted north using only its bow thruster for limited heading control before running aground on the opposite side of the channel at the Koopa swing basin, leaving six hatch cover pontoons behind on the quay. The vessel traffic service activated emergency protocols to mobilise off-duty pilots and tug crews, though falling debris and large hail initially hampered their travel to the port bases. A pilot boarded the 'Wide India' at 4:14 p.m. to secure a tow line from an assisting tug, allowing the vessel to safely turn and transit to the ship-to-ship anchorage. Another pilot boarded Volans at 4:20 p.m., utilizing two tugs to swing the vessel and re-secure it to its berth by 6:54 p.m. Two pilots boarded the 'MSC Barbara' at 4:25 p.m. and successfully refloated the vessel at 5:16 p.m. with the assistance of three tugs. Following a brief standoff, where the master and managers insisted on returning to the berth, the regional harbour master issued two formal safety directions forcing the vessel to proceed to the anchorage, where it safely anchored at 8:24 p.m. The safety bureau noted that the storm caused widespread electrical power outages across the region. The investigators also observed that the automated identification systems on the moored vessels updated positions only every three minutes because their speed remained below three knots during the initial breakaway phase. To conclude the safety investigation, the bureau continued to analyse meteorological data, vessel mooring equipment, and the effectiveness of local emergency arrangements.
Storm wreaked havoc in Brisbane
On Nov 24, 2025, four ships broke lose from their berths at the port of Brisbane during a storm with wind speeds of up to 70 knots . The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) launched an investigation into the incident, which was due to be completed in the second quarter of 2026. The ATSB team had to assess winches and equipment, such as mooring lines and anchor arrangements, collected evidence such as recorded data and documents from the ships, vessel traffic services, and pilotage provider. The iInvestigators were also expected to interview masters, pilots and other parties involved. Affected were the container ships 'Volans' (IMO: 9430777), on charter to COSCO for the JKN service between Asia and New Zealand via Brisbane, the 'Wide India' (IMO: 9698252), currently on charter to Hapag-Lloyd for their SEA service, Southeast Asia-Australia, the 'MSC Barbara' (IMO: 9226932), on MSC's Panda service from China, and the 'Viking Passama'. No major damage to the ships or the infrastructure was reported to Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads, no injuries and no pollution. At about 3 p.m. LT the 'Viking Passama' was berthing, when gales pushed the ship away from the wharf. Four of the mooring lines parted and the ship moved into the centre of the shipping channel. Two tugs assisted in pushing the ship alongside after winds subsided. Shortly after, the 'MSC Barbara' broke away from its berth when its mooring lines paid out or parted. The ship drifted to the other side of the channel and grounded on muddy bottom in Morton Bay east of Mud Island. Pilots boarded the ship, which was successfully refloated and conducted it to the anchorage outside the harbour, where divers were deployed to inspect the hull. At the same time, the 'Wide India' broke away from its berth when its mooring lines snapped. The ship's master maintained its position in the channel until pilots boarded and conducted it to the anchorage. Around the same time, the 'Volans' partially broke away from its berth when its aft mooring lines parted. The remaining mooring lines kept the vessel close to the wharf, until it was returned to position. All ships were anchored, and the Port of Brisbane was re-opened for shipping on the evening. The 'MSC Barbara' remained stationary in Brisbane as of Nov 26. The 'Volans' sailed on Nov 24 en route to Auckland with an ETA as of Nov 26. The 'Viking Passama' sailed from the port again on Nov 25, en route to Port Kembla with an ETA as of Nov 29. The 'Wide India' left Brisbane on Nov 25, next bound to Tanjung Pelapas with an ETA as of Dec 8.
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