Australian port operator TasPorts has confirmed that one of two tugs that sank in the Port of Devonport in Tasmania after being struck by a manoeuvring cargo vessel earlier this year has been successfully raised out of the water.
In a statement posted on its website on Sunday, August 7, TasPorts said the heavy lift ship AAL Melbourne has lifted the wrecked tug York Cove from the Mersey River. The heavy lift ship was engaged by United Salvage, the Australia-based company appointed to recover the tugs York Cove and Campbell Cove, to undertake the removal works.
The two TasPorts-operated tugs sank after they were struck by the CSL Australia cement carrier Goliath as it was manoeuvring in port waters on January 28, 2022.
TasPorts chief operating officer Stephen Casey said the raising of the wreck was "a slow process" made complex by a series of environmental factors, including weather, wind and river currents that have been affected by recent rain, and the condition of the wrecks themselves in the water.
On Monday, August 8, preparatory works were undertaken for the salvage of Campbell Cove. An initial lift attempt is scheduled for Tuesday, August 9.
