Leeuwin has suffered ‘catastrophic’ damage

Jay Weatherill, Chair of the Leeuwin Ocean Adventure Foundation, has today thanked the public for their messages of support since the incident on Friday in which the STS Leeuwin II was damaged in a collision in Fremantle Harbour.

The good news is that the two crew members who were on board the Leeuwin at the time of the collision have been discharged from hospital and are recovering.

This morning the Leeuwin’s Captain and surveyors boarded the vessel for the first time since the incident and secured watertight bulkheads, isolated valves and other key systems onboard to ensure the safety of the vessel.

The bad news is, Mr Weatherill said, that whilst it is too early to determine fully the extent of the damage, it appears the hull was intact but there was ‘catastrophic’ damage to the rigging, masts, spars and equipment on deck. This damage is consistent with a dismasting.

The Foundation will now formulate a plan for derigging the vessel safely.

We will bring you more on the fate of the Leeuwin in coming days.

For more stories about the Leeuwin on the Shipping News, look here.

By Michael Barker, Editor, Fremantle Shipping News

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

* If you’d like to COMMENT on this or any of our stories, don’t hesitate to email our Editor.

** WHILE YOU’RE HERE –