What Crew Members Say About Wilga

Efforts are currently underway to refloat and remove the sunken tugs 'York Cove' and 'Campbell Cove' from Devonport wharf, following an incident involving the cement carrier 'Goliath' on January 28, 2022. The salvage operations, estimated to take approximately six weeks, have now transitioned to freeing the 'Wilga', a third tug that found itself trapped inside an oil spill containment area. On January 31, as the tide rose, crews began the intricate task of carefully opening the containment boom without releasing any oil into the surrounding waters. TasPorts teams acted swiftly, deploying oil spill response equipment within just 45 minutes of the accident, successfully securing the 'Wilga' in the containment zone. The extraction plan, developed with guidance from the EPA, aimed to minimize environmental impact during the tug's eventual removal as it was towed as a 'dead ship' by the tug 'Watagan' from the Port of Burnie. For detailed coverage, view the full report with accompanying images at The Advocate.