COMMONWEALTH ASSISTANCE TO RECOVER PACIFIC ADVENTURER SHIPPING CONTAINERS
16 March 2009
Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, today announced that the Rudd Government will deploy a Royal Australian Navy mine-hunting vessel to search for 31 fertiliser containers lost from the Pacific Adventurer during Tropical Cyclone Hamish on 11 March.
Mr McClelland said that, “in response to a request from the Queensland Government, I have activated the Commonwealth Disaster Plan, coordinated by Emergency Management Australia (EMA), and tasked the Australian Defence Force to assist in the urgent effort to locate and recover the lost containers.”
“HMAS Yarra will sail from Sydney today and is expected to begin the search for the containers before the end of the week in an area about seven nautical miles east of CapeMoreton.”
“I appreciate the swift cooperation by my colleague, the Minister for Defence, in allowing the naval vessel to assist with this important search and recovery operation,” Mr McClelland said.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is currently conducting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the loss of the containers which are believed to have sunk in approximately 200 metres of water.
The Australian Government will continue to work with Queensland and stands ready to provide further assistance to address this serious situation.
Media Contact: Adam Siddique 0407 473 630
