Department responding to vessel incident

The Department of Transport (DoT) is aware of an incident involving a tug towing a barge in waters south west of Perth. 

The tug ‘Quenda’ was travelling from Henderson to Bunbury yesterday and overnight some sections of the barge broke away while transiting.

No injuries have been reported as a result of the incident.

DoT is Western Australia’s lead agency responsible for ensuring an effective response to marine transport and environmental emergencies and incidents in State waters.  DoT is working with the barge owner, Southern Ports Authority, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and WA Police Marine Search and Sea Rescue to recover the missing sections of the barge.

Members of the public are encouraged to notify DoT’s Marine Pollution hotline if they locate any parts of the barge or see any evidence of marine pollution.

DoT’s Marine Pollution hotline number is (08) 9480 9924 (24 hours) or people can email marine.pollution@transport.wa.gov.au
 
A navigational warning to mariners has been issued by DoT and recreational vessel skippers are cautioned to avoid the area between Bunbury and Mandurah until the recovery process is complete www.transport.wa.gov.au/imarine/navigational-warnings.asp

Media contact: Angelika Fawcett 0413 557 887