By Peter Cook 

On June 8th, 2007, the bulk carrier Pasha Bulker grounded in severe storms on Nobby’s Beach in New South Wales. The following is an account of the helicopter rescue of 22 crew members off the stranded ship.

At approximately 0940 the Newcastle Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service was contacted by the NSW Police Radio and asked what resources were available and if we could respond to a ship reported to be adrift and likely to run aground at the famous local Nobby’s Beach.
  
The service was fortunate to have four aircraft available: the primary aircraft was the Bell 412 (Westpac 1 VH- HRS), supported by the new Tamworth Aircraft that was about to be delivered as well as the Tamworth Westpac BK 117 (Westpac 2 VH – HRT), and a Bell 407 (Westpac 4 VH – HRR), a single engine back up aircraft.

Both of the twin engine aircraft responded at 0950 as they were fitted with a two man (272kg) hoist capability. Both aircraft responded together and landed at Harbour Side Park (across from Nobbys Beach). The crew reported to the EOC (Emergency Operations Center) which was set up by the police at Nobby’s Beach S.L.S.C. and then met with the Police Inspector in charge.

A briefing was held and initial reports stated that were there were 22 crewmembers on board and all wanted to get off the grounded 40,000 Tonne Bulk Carrier, ‘Pasha Bulker’. The ship was now on the reef and being pounded by ferociously large waves and gale force driving rain and conditions were expected to get worse as the day progressed.

The Briefing was inclusive and consisted of members of: N.S.W.Police Service;
N.S.W.Ambulance Service; N.S.W. Fire Brigade and HAZMAT; the Hunter Region Westpac Rescue Helicopter; Newcastle City Council Lifeguards; Nobbys Beach S.L.S.C. Members; Newcastle Ports Corporation and, finally, the Newcastle Harbour Control.

Communications with the ship’s captain were good and came via Newcastle Harbour Control. It was initially decided that a Tug from Newcastle Harbour was going to make its way through the Heads and try to secure a tow line to the ship and wait until high tide at 1200 and pull the ship off. Accordingly, they would require the crew members to stay on board to assist.

After discussions with the Newcastle Harbour Master, it was decided that no vessel was to leave the port as the seas were measuring up to 18 metres. The port was now closed to all shipping.

Police, the Newcastle Ports Corporation Representative, Senior Pilot Ian Osborne and Crew Chief Graham Nickisson discussed the possibility of attempting a hoist rescue of all 22 crewmembers or leaving them on board until the seas abated. Ian advised them that if we were to attempt the hoist rescue the time was now, as more severe conditions were forecast later in the afternoon.

Senior Police and the OIC asked the Port Corporation Representative whether there was a possibility of the ship turning over: the answer came that, even though the ship was flat bottomed, there was no 100% guarantee that this wouldn’t happen. Erring on the side of caution, the police therefore immediately gave the go ahead to attempt the helicopter hoist rescue of the ship’s company.

The helicopter crews briefed alone and decided on a ‘game plan’ on how the helicopter hoist rescue was going to take place. It was decided that the 412 (Westpac 1 ) would hoist the two rescue crewmen (Ramplin and Langham) onto the ship’s hatch cover marked ‘Winch Only’ and then the aircraft would form a ‘shuttle service’, hoisting each crewmember out with a rescue crewman. It was decided that due to the language barrier of the ship’s company and the Aircrewman having to have his head outside of the aircraft, ‘clearing the aircraft’ and directing the pilot, that the rescue crewman travel on each hoist recovery to assist with the removal of the rescue strop as well as the safe placement of the survivors into the cabin. This strategy proved to be very efficient and saved much time. Nobby’s Beach lifeguards were below on jet skis in the event of a mishap which was comforting for the crew.

Westpac 1 and Westpac 2 departed Harbourside Park at 1105 for the ship and estimated that, using the two aircraft, the whole operation would take between 20 and 30 minutes. Westpac 1 hoisted down rescue crewmen Ramplin and Langham to the deck as planned. This proved to be tricky as accompanying the driving rain were winds gusting between 60 and 80 knots with sea spray from the pounding waves washing up over the side of the ship.

Both rescue crew proceeded to the bridge to brief the crew members of what was about to happen and the procedure for the helicopter rescue. Teams of six were organised to be brought out to the hoist area to minimise the number of people on the deck in case of an accident or being washed overboard. As the 412 started to recover the ship’s company, it was called by the ambulance to respond to, “a number of people” washed away in their vehicle by floodwaters at Clarencetown, north of Newcastle. With this in mind and the number of people possibly involved (up to seven), the 412 departed with ambulance paramedics to assist. Four crewmembers were successfully hoisted into the aircraft and dropped off to Harbourside Park to awaiting police, ambulance, immigration and customs officers.

With all of their plans now disrupted, the BK 117 (Westpac 2) with pilot McFadden, Aircrewman Nickisson and Rescue Crewman Ramplin were left to recover the remaining 18 crew members.

The two remaining crewmembers of the first group were at the hoisting area with Glen. Overhead the hoist area, it was very violent when the cable was hoisted down: with winds gusting at 80 knots, the cable was blowing between 20 and 30 feet rearward of the aircraft so the crew had to fly the hoist hook to them like a kite.

As soon as the weight was taken on the first hoist, the wind blew the two on the cable rearward and then behind the rear cross tubes of the helicopter. This would have made hoisting impossible. Bearing this in mind, aircrewman Nickisson walked back along the skids and, with the pilot manoeuvering the aircraft, they were able to free the hoist cable.

It was clear to the crew that this was going to take longer than first predicted. The first two were dropped off and we returned to hoist the empty hook to Ramplin as he remained on board to ready the next group. They continued through gale force winds and rain that was like nails hitting the crews in the face. On the deck of the ship, the hatch cover was like ice and the crew had to walk through engine oil which made the operation that much more difficult.

On two separate occasions, Aircrewman Nickisson was thrown from the doorway outside the aircraft and had to rely on his safety lanyard - the helicopter was like a ping pong ball. On occasions, they were hovering at 50 feet above the deck and then dropping to about 20 feet.

First and foremost in the crews’ minds was their own safety and the survivor on the cable. With the ship being tossed up and down, there was the possibility of them being slammed back onto the deck or against the ship’s side. A further five were then hoisted into the helicopter and dropped off in the park.

All of the ship’s company were covered in the engine oil and grease that was on the deck, which rubbed off onto the rescue crewman, the aircrewman and then the interior of our aircraft so everything was slippery.

During the whole of the hoisting operation, the rescue crew were ‘booted’ by the static electricity that built up in the aircraft.  In these conditions, the hoist cable is ‘earthed’ and the ‘static discharge’ is released onto whatever it touches, which on this occasion, was the rescue crewman that had to dive for the hoist cable as the conditions prevented the hook being hoisted next to the survivors.

The weather conditions deteriorated to the point that visibility was poor and now they were facing stronger winds as well as thunder and lightning. Even though it was very wet, windy and cold, Aircrewman Nickisson kept placing bottles of water inside Glen Ramplin’s wet suit to prevent dehydration  

Whilst hoisting the second crewmember of the next group, a huge wave broke at the base of the ship sending sea spray up to 60 feet high, covering the aircraft and crew.

We returned two more crewmembers to shore leaving Glen Ramplin and the Captain of the ship: the only two left on board. As predicted, conditions were such that, following the removal of Glen and the Captain with the last hoist, the team were operating at the very limits.

At 1233 all 22 Crew Members of the ‘Pasha Bulker’ were rescued with no injuries and no hospitalization. The whole operation took 1 hour 28 minutes in severe gale force conditions, possibly one of the single biggest rescues off a bulk carrier in Australian History.

The ‘Pasha Bulker’ remained grounded on Nobby’s Reef and became Newcastle’s number one tourist attraction until it was refloated a few weeks later.