Tuesday 5 July 2022 01:36 AM Plan to take Portland Bay bulk carrier out to sea stalls as tug cables snap in ... trends now

Tuesday 5 July 2022 01:36 AM Plan to take Portland Bay bulk carrier out to sea stalls as tug cables snap in ... trends now
Tuesday 5 July 2022 01:36 AM Plan to take Portland Bay bulk carrier out to sea stalls as tug cables snap in ... trends now

Tuesday 5 July 2022 01:36 AM Plan to take Portland Bay bulk carrier out to sea stalls as tug cables snap in ... trends now

A daring attempt to take a stranded cargo ship back out to sea has stalled after tow lines broke in dangerous weather conditions overnight. 

The MV Portland Bay lost power about one kilometre off Garie Beach in the Royal National Park, south of Sydney, on Monday morning leaving 21 crew members stranded in massive seas. 

The Hong Kong-registered bulk carrier started drifting towards the cliffs, sparking fears of a maritime disaster, with the Port Authority of NSW dispatching three tug boats to stop the ship and haul it far offshore.

The plan, which sought to have the ship 12 nautical miles out to sea by midnight, kicked off in the afternoon, with the vessel being pulled 2.5 nautical miles out to sea by 6pm.

However, as wet weather wreaked havoc across the region, the towlines broke as the swell reached 11 metres, undoing rescue efforts as the ship again began floating towards the shore.  

Efforts to take stranded cargo ship Portland Bay (pictured) back out to sea after it lost power have stalled

Efforts to take stranded cargo ship Portland Bay (pictured) back out to sea after it lost power have stalled 

A marine map shows the ship sitting off the coast of Cronulla, in Sydney's south, on Tuesday morning

A marine map shows the ship sitting off the coast of Cronulla, in Sydney's south, on Tuesday morning 

By 6.45am Tuesday, the ship's tracker placed it just two nautical miles offshore from Cronulla, but within an hour it had shifted slightly north - sitting 1.2 nautical miles off Port Botany. 

Despite the setback, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the situation was 'stable' as he praised those who worked through the 'treacherous conditions' on Monday evening. 

'I would like to thank very much the crews of those tugs for the heroic work they did overnight,' he told reporters on Tuesday. 

'They worked through the night to ensure that bulk carrier was in a stable position. It's far from over, their challenge. In this torrential

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