STRIKE FORCE
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Longliner grounded and broke up
On the afternoon of Oct 28, the 'Strike Force', a longliner operating out of Ulladulla, washed up on rocks at Bawley Point, and broke in two a few hours later. It was unknown what caused the accident, though the weather was clear and sunny, and the swell was small. NSW Maritime established an incident management team, deployed specialist personnel and equipment, engaged salvage contractors and established a forward operating base to coordinate response efforts. By the late afternoon of Oct 29, NSW Maritime had removed all 9000 litres of diesel fuel from the vessel, as well as about 50 litres of hydraulic fluid. The vessel had a maximum capacity of 12,000 litres across its four tanks. Small electric pumps were used to remove the fuel. with the process taking about an hour for every 100 litres. They had to wait until low tide to make sure the vessel was positioned properly for the operation. It was in a challenging location on a rocky platform in sort of a semi-surf environment with difficult access. Thr fuel removal was largely finished before the vessel split in two, with the aft section sinking just offshore. On the morning of Oct 29, heavy machinery was used to drag the foreship section onto the rock platform for removal. The whole clean-up was expected to take months, with the next phase focusing on collecting fibreglass, foam and other associated debris from the area. Workers would walk the shoreline to collect what they could for disposal. NSW Maritime continued to work with partner agencies, the vessel owner and insurers to safely remove and dispose of the wreck, which was well beyond repair and had be disposed of and recycled. Divers would be needed to collect items that broke away from the longliner and sank. A multiagency effort was to probe how the 'Strike Force' ran aground, with NSW Maritime, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and NSW Water Police expected to be involved. People could report any debris or other concerns to NSW Maritime by calling 13 12 36. Reports with photos and video: https://www.swellnet.com/news/swellnet-dispatch/2026/10/29/boat-runs-aground-bawley-point https://www.2ec.com.au/local-news/salvage-operation-for-fishing-trawler-at-bawley-point/ https://aboutregional.com.au/watch-months-of-clean-up-ahead-after-south-coast-fishing-vessel-runs-aground/519065/ https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1473443788245406
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