Intrepid WX: Pasha Bulker Evacuation

On 8 June 2007, the Pasha Bulker grounded at Nobbys Beach in Newcastle, Australia. I was fortunate to be on site to capture the emergency helicopter evacuation of the ship’s 22 Filipino and Korean crew members during the storm.

The east coast low, a type of extratropical cyclone that forms off the east coast of Australia, was well forecast, and Newcastle Port Corporation radioed the 56 ships waiting offshore, requesting that they move further out to sea before the storm arrived. The Pasha Bulker did not heed the warning and subsequently ran aground in the storm, with both bow and stern stuck in the sand, almost parallel to Nobbys Beach in Newcastle.

Record ocean conditions were recorded during the storm. A maximum wave height of 14.13 m (46 ft) was recorded at the Sydney deepwater Waverider buoy, with around 300 mm (11.81 inches) of rain falling in 24 hours in the area, causing widespread flooding.

After two failed attempts, the ship was eventually salvaged on the third attempt, on 2 July 2007, at a cost of about A$1.8 million. The 225 m (738 ft) Panamax bulk carrier was then towed to Japan, where the extensive damage was repaired. It was later renamed MV Drake.

It was a particularly humbling experience to witness.