ninme

Well, people, this almost didn’t happen. Their first attempts were scheduled for our intrepid tugboat correspondent Brett McS’s trip to Brisbane. But thankfully the weather sucked, tow ropes snapped, and things were postponed until he got back.

“In the first photo you can see the tugs’ ropes coming from the bow. There is also a big, nasty vertical crease in the middle. That’s not good. Hope it doesn’t break in two.”

“In the second photo are the three brave little tugs (sniffle!) taking the strain.”

toot toot!

Daily Telegraph – Pasha Bulker floats again

The ship moved off silently, with no noise as it came off the reef. The first sound that could be heard from the ship was a “yahoo” from one of the members of the salvage team.

Cheers could be heard from the Newcastle Ocean Baths – the closest public vantage point where dozens of onlookers braved the cold conditions to watch history in the making. …

“From day one I was genuinely convinced we had the best team in Australia here,” he said. …

“Can I just say that seeing it move off so calmly, leaving nothing behind, leaving no waste, no damage to the environment, that is a really satisfying result.”…

It had not yet been determined where the ship would go.

She was being pulled out to deeper water by three tugs, which would remain there once it stopped.

Mr Tripodi said if a request was made for it to enter Newcastle Harbour, that decision would rest with the harbour master.

I’m sure that decision would be popular with local businesses.