Pasha Bulker 243 - Independent investigation into the grounding of ...

The ship’s bow section was later successfully freed from the beach. However, the
ship was not successfully salvaged and the wreck of its stern still lies on Stockton
Beach. The storm became known as the “Sygna storm”.
Two other noteworthy and more recent incidents in the Newcastle anchorage have
been collisions. On 23 November 1995, New Noble dragged its anchor and collided
with the anchored Goonzaran (Marine Incident Investigation Unit report number
86). On 24 June 2005, in a similar incident, Pilsum collided with China Steel
Growth after dragging its anchor (ATSB marine investigation report number 216).
The weather during both of these incidents was poor with gale force winds.
The exposure to adverse weather at the Newcastle anchorage and the consequential
risks, including anchors dragging and difficulties weighing them, are recognised.
This has resulted in appropriate guidance being promulgated in publications such as
the Australia Pilot. The guidance includes the recommendation for ships to weigh
their anchors and put to sea until the weather moderates.
2.4.2 Weather
The Australia Pilot describes the extreme weather that an East Coast Low can
generate off Newcastle and provides adequate guidance for masters. Locally, more
is known about these weather systems and the BoM describes them as follows:
East Coast Lows (ECL) are intense low-pressure systems which occur on average
several times a year off the eastern coast of Australia, in particular southern
Queensland, NSW and eastern Victoria. Although they can occur at any time of
the year, they are common during autumn and winter with a maximum frequency
in June. East Coast Lows will often intensify rapidly overnight making them one
of the more dangerous weather systems to affect the NSW coast.
Each year there are about ten ‘significant impact’ maritime lows. Generally, only
once per year do we see ‘explosive development’. Looking at all the lows between
1973-2004, there is no evidence of a trend.
The BoM notes that an ECL brings gale or storm force winds with heavy coastal
rain south of its centre. Very rough seas and prolonged heavy swells are generated.
The challenge for forecasters is to accurately predict the location and movement of
the centre of an ECL. The BoM issues warnings with the aim of giving sufficient
advance notice to mariners (Appendix D, Wind warnings).
The weather conditions associated with the groundings of Sygna and Pasha Bulker
are both instances when the sea area off Newcastle has been affected by an ECL.
The East Coast Low of 8-9 June 2007
The ECL of 8-9 June had been forecast accurately and was the first of five that
occurred during June 2007. Five in a month is rare but not unprecedented, with
1974 being another notable year. The ECL of 8-9 June was not the most intense of
the five that occurred but it had the most serious impact, both inland and offshore.
The ECL developed in a pre-existing low pressure trough in the northern Tasman
Sea. As predicted on 6 June, a weak low formed off Coffs Harbour, about 150 miles
north of Newcastle, on the morning of 7 June. It then moved south along the coast
towards Newcastle. By evening, the low had deepened to 1009 hPa and was located
just north of Newcastle. Gale force south-easterly winds started at about midnight
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