Authorities have seized the 2,000-tonne MV Cape Don from Sydney Harbour after assessments found the deteriorating vessel posed a risk to the harbour, the environment and the surrounding community.
Transport for NSW Maritime took control of the ship at Balls Head in Waverton on Tuesday, with water police searching it to ensure nobody was on board. The agency said the seizure began a process to remove and dispose of the vessel.
“Expert assessments found the vessel to be in extremely poor condition and posing a risk to Sydney Harbour, the environment and the community,” a Transport for NSW Maritime spokesperson said.
The vessel has been moored at Waverton for more than 20 years. An inspection by a naval architect and an independent expert raised concerns about its hull, which is rusting and contains holes described as being the size of footballs.
Transport for NSW Maritime first issued the Sea Heritage Foundation, which owns the ship, with an unsafe vessel notice in June last year. Authorities acted under reforms to the Marine Safety Act that strengthened powers to seize and dispose of derelict vessels and recover the costs.
The move has angered the charity’s members, who have been working to restore the Cape Don. CJ Manjarres-Wahlberg, the foundation’s chair, said the organisation would appeal against the seizure notice.
“The ship is not at risk of sinking, there’s reports to say that,” he said. “It’s really disappointing. We’re a charity.”
The Cape Don was completed in 1963 and was formerly used in the service of lighthouses. Its disposal could prove a delicate and expensive operation because the vessel is widely considered too fragile to tow to a scrapyard.
Save Our Sydney Harbour, a community group campaigning against derelict vessels in the harbour, welcomed the seizure. The group’s convenor, Stuart King, said it was “a big step forward” for the harbour.
The organisation has also called for owners to pay a bond to help cover the risks posed by vessels left in disrepair. King said taxpayers should not have to deal with what he described as “passion projects”, while urging authorities to address other derelict vessels, including the former Flanagans Afloat restaurant.
