Faulty steering grounds MSC vessel

A steering fault caused a container ship to run aground in Moreton Bay off Brisbane, the Queensland government said.
The 217m MSC Basel was leaving Brisbane bound for Singapore when it struck a sand bank 5km southwest of Comboyuro Point on Moreton Island about 9.30am yesterday, reported Sunshine Coast Daily.

The Liberian-registered ship, with a pilot on board, hit the shoal on low tide half a nautical mile from the shipping channel but came free on the rising tide.

Transport Minister Rachel Nolan said the ship had just taken on containers in the port of Brisbane and was under marine pilotage when it ran aground. She said there appeared to be no damage caused, nor any spillage of fuel.

“The government will initiate a full investigation but at this stage there is no indication of it being in the wrong place or doing the wrong thing,” she said.

“It had a steering fault and as a result drifted onto a sand bank called Yule Bank near the northern tip of Moreton Island.”
It has been moved to an emergency anchorage for a damage assessment.
 

Source: Cargonews Asia