Fresh works to help shape a solution for a troublesome harbour entrance have been interrupted after an incident involving a key drilling barge.
Drilling investigation works were scheduled in the Mooloolah River entrance and in the offshore waters adjacent to Buddina Beach from October 15 to November 11.
Minister for Transport Brent Mickelberg said the testing would help guide future management of the area, which can be difficult to navigate in inclement weather.
“The Crisafulli Government is getting on with delivering a safer Mooloolah River by delivering the solutions identified in the independent review received earlier this year,” he said.
“Geotechnical works are currently underway at the Mooloolah River entrance to assess seabed conditions and inform long-term solutions to recurring shoaling.”
The works were set to occur 12 hours a day, while the state government monitors the river mouth and carries out maintenance dredging as required.
But the commercial vessel Shine Barge has stopped geotechnical drilling investigations due to a mechanical failure, which has been referred to the federal maritime safety regulator.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority confirmed that it was looking into it.
“The AMSA is aware of the incident involving Shine Barge and is making preliminary enquiries,” a spokesperson said.
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Any operational impacts will be known after the investigation.
A photo posted on social media by alexheadsurfreport, on October 21, showed what appeared to be the barge in rough water.
A Queensland Police Service spokesperson said water police attended the scene off Point Cartwright that morning.
“It was a commercial pontoon that had started taking on water.”
“We safely towed it back to Mooloolaba. Four workmen were onboard at the time: none were injured.”
A Notice to Mariners, by Maritime Safety Queensland, on October 14, provided more detail about the Shine Barge and the planned works.
It said the barge was a 9x9m spud-legged jack-up vessel, and it was supported by 4.9m workboat Scorpio.
“Activities include borehole drilling and vibracore sediment sampling,” it stated.
The notice said that, for works off Buddina Beach, the barge would “remain in situ overnight”.
“The timing and location of the works may change due to weather, sea conditions and operational requirements.
“The jack-up vessel and workboat will display the lights and shapes required for their operations and will carry AIS and radio communications. Mariners must navigate with caution.”
Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie and Minister for Transport Brent Mickelberg outlined a range of measures, earlier this year, to improve the harbour entrance.
Short-term measures include continued dredging, better monitoring and modelling to target works more quickly, and considering additional dredging equipment and rapid-response contracts when needed.
Longer-term works are planned in two stages. The first would remove about 100,000 cubic metres of sand from the Buddina Sand Trap for placement on Sunshine Coast beaches. The second would deepen the entrance channel by excavating underlying rock.
The announcement followed the independent review in September, after the tragic death of experienced skipper Robert ‘Smithy’ Smith in August.
The review provided comprehensive recommendations to manage shoaling in the area, which has previously been labelled “dangerous” and “risky”.
