❓ Question regarding a ship hitting the Fremantle rail bridge and the Fremantle Port Authority's emergency response. The Minister outlines the response and investigation process.
AnsweredQoN 608Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
FREMANTLE
TRAFFIC BRIDGE
608. Ms S.F. McGURK to the
Minister for Transport:
I refer to the incident of the commercial ship breaking its
moorings and hitting the Fremantle rail bridge on Sunday night, and the
authority of the Fremantle port harbourmaster to ensure that emergency tug
crews are on standby.
(1) When did
the Fremantle Port Authority first become aware of the likelihood of bad
weather on Sunday night?
(2) Were
tugboat crews placed on standby on Sunday night?
(3) If no to
(2), why was the emergency management response not implemented?
TRAFFIC BRIDGE
608. Ms S.F. McGURK to the
Minister for Transport:
I refer to the incident of the commercial ship breaking its
moorings and hitting the Fremantle rail bridge on Sunday night, and the
authority of the Fremantle port harbourmaster to ensure that emergency tug
crews are on standby.
(1) When did
the Fremantle Port Authority first become aware of the likelihood of bad
weather on Sunday night?
(2) Were
tugboat crews placed on standby on Sunday night?
(3) If no to
(2), why was the emergency management response not implemented?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3)
The Bureau of Meteorology advised of strong winds for that night. The tugboats
are on standby for gale force winds, not strong winds. The advice received was
that there would be strong winds, but of course gale force winds did hit. At
this point, we know that a bollard broke free but we are not sure whether it is
a fault in the bollard, a fault in the processes of tying down to the bollard,
whether the wind caused it or whether there was a breakdown in processes. We
are two days into this, and I said at the outset that our priority is to ensure
that we get the rail bridge fixed as quickly as possible. The divers went
underneath the bridge yesterday and have advised that the bridge is
structurally fine under the waterline, so we are now moving towards the top
where a lot of the damage is visible, and we have replaced the scaffolding
there. Our priority is to get this up and running. Following that, we will
determine whether or not there is fault at hand. At this stage, there is talk
that it is an act of God, but we will follow this through to ensure that if
there is a breakdown of any process, we will put improvements in place. We have
said from the outset that we will fix the rail bridge for commuters and freight
to and from the port. We will then follow up with a proper investigation to see
if there is any breakdown in process.
The Bureau of Meteorology advised of strong winds for that night. The tugboats
are on standby for gale force winds, not strong winds. The advice received was
that there would be strong winds, but of course gale force winds did hit. At
this point, we know that a bollard broke free but we are not sure whether it is
a fault in the bollard, a fault in the processes of tying down to the bollard,
whether the wind caused it or whether there was a breakdown in processes. We
are two days into this, and I said at the outset that our priority is to ensure
that we get the rail bridge fixed as quickly as possible. The divers went
underneath the bridge yesterday and have advised that the bridge is
structurally fine under the waterline, so we are now moving towards the top
where a lot of the damage is visible, and we have replaced the scaffolding
there. Our priority is to get this up and running. Following that, we will
determine whether or not there is fault at hand. At this stage, there is talk
that it is an act of God, but we will follow this through to ensure that if
there is a breakdown of any process, we will put improvements in place. We have
said from the outset that we will fix the rail bridge for commuters and freight
to and from the port. We will then follow up with a proper investigation to see
if there is any breakdown in process.
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