Marine Occurrence report 232 - Australian Transport Safety Bureau

While the port emergency plan did not provide specific guidance for managing the
breakaway of a ship from its berth, the harbour master took control of the incident,
as required by the plan, and managed the risk that the breakaway posed to the port.
In this instance, the harbour master chose to attempt to prevent the ship from
grounding by holding it in the deep water pocket in the channel. The ebb tidal flow
proved to be too strong for the pilot to hold the ship in this position and the ship
grounded in the channel, effectively blocking it.
When it became apparent that the ship could not be returned to its berth, the harbour
master decided to hold it in the deepest section of the channel until the next flood
tide. This was the only available option and, by holding the ship in deep water
rather than continuing the attempt to re-berth it, the risk of an uncontrolled
grounding in shallower water was minimised.
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