Meeting the rocks of public ridicule

The appropriately-named 'Challenge' off Cronulla Beach / Pic: Nic Gibson Source: The Daily Telegraph

THE failed efforts to refloat a grounded fishing trawler near Cronulla have been compared to a scene from MacGyver.

Maritime Union of Australia Sydney branch secretary Paul McAleer described yesterday's attempt to free the 25m vessel from rocks as "amateurish" after a Sydney Ports controller had to swim out to the boat with a knife between his teeth.

"When you have the incident controller swimming out in his budgie smugglers to attempt some MacGyver operation, it is just ridiculous," Mr McAleer said, in a reference to the US show in which a secret agent is forever getting out of tricky situations with a roll of duct tape and a Swiss Army knife.

Sydney Ports and salvage operator Polaris Marine had hoped the boat would be afloat yesterday after a 1.4m high tide, but they were unable to free it from rocks before the tide turned.

Rival Sydney Harbour salvage operator Brett Devine also slammed the operation, describing the scene at the trawler as a "circus".

"The boat is still moving on the rocks. They haven't even pinned it down to steady it," he said.

"You have to fill it with water in every compartment except the engine to weigh it down and stop it moving while you send divers down to inspect the hull."

A spokesman for Sydney Ports defended its handling of the operation and said the incident controller had waded out in full protective gear only after police divers had boarded the ship.

"The Harbour Master insisted the salvage operator use a softly-softly approach," he said.

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