THE FEDERAL Government says there is no guarantee The Pacific Adventurer’s lost shipping containers will be retrieved from the ocean floor because it may be too difficult and costly.
25 of the 31 containers of ammonium nitrate lost off the south-east Queensland coast last month have already been recovered, and two naval ships will make a last effort today to confirm the location of the six missing containers.
The ship's owner, Swire Shipping, said it is normal industry practice to abandon containers lost overboard in deep water if they pose no threat.
The chairman of Australian Reef Pilots, Don McLeay, said as long as the containers are sitting on the bottom of the ocean floor and not floating around then they are not a hazard.
McLeay adds it will not be cost-effective to remove them if they are located too deep.
He said the containers would ultimately disintegrate over time.
Lieutenant Commander Scully-O'Shea says if weather permits, they will send down minesweeping cameras today to confirm if images caught on sonar are the other six containers.
He says he is happy with what has been found, but the weather has hampered the operation.
Scully-O’Shea said the search suffered from 25 to 35 knot winds and heavy swells, making the operation quite challenging and limiting.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority and the cargo ship's owner, Swire Shipping, are in discussions about the salvage operation.
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