Photo: Rob Burnett
The first of two tugs which have been sitting on the bottom of the Mersey River since January has been successfully lifted out of the water.
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The York Cove and the Campbell Cove were sunk when they were rammed by the bulk cement carrier Goliath at the Port of Devonport’s West No. 4 Berth.
The York Cove was lifted by the heavy lifting ship AAL Melbourne on Sunday afternoon after a 12-hour operation, which started in the early hours of the morning after the Melbourne arrived overnight from Burnie with special cradles to carry the wrecks.
TasPorts chief operating officer Stephen Casey says it’s been a slow and deliberate process due to a series of complex environmental factors, including quantities fuel and oil still on board the wrecks.
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Mr Casey says he’s hopeful the Campbell Cove can be lifted today or tomorrow.
The cost of the dame and salvage operation won’t be known until the tugs are removed and taken to Brisbane to be scrapped, but Mr Casey says it’s likely to run into “millions and millions of dollars”.
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