Sanko Harvest

Sanko Harvest was a 30,000 DWT bulk carrier that sank near Esperance, Western Australia after striking a reef there on 14 February 1991.[1] The Japanese owned ship was 174 metres (571 ft) long and was carrying a cargo of 30,000 tonnes of fertilizer. Also on board was 570 tonnes of bunker fuel and 74 tonnes of diesel fuel.[2]

Sanko Harvest
History
Owner: Seawall Shipping Corporation
Operator: The Eastern Shipping Co. Ltd,
Port of registry:  Panama
Builder: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd
Launched: 1985
Identification: Official Number 8307521
Fate: Struck a reef and sank 14 February 1991
General characteristics
Tonnage: 30,000 DWT
Length: 167.6 m (550 ft)
Beam: 27 m (89 ft)
Draft: 14.8 m (49 ft)

The wreck site is the second largest wreck dive in the world and the largest off the Australian coast.[3]

Sinking

Sanko Harvest was traveling from Tampa, Florida via the Panama Canal to Esperance when it hit the reef at 34°7.4′S 122°5.1′E, near Hood Island within the Recherche Archipelago, approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) south south east of Esperance.[4]

Initially, salvage plans were put in place, however the ship started to break up and broke into three pieces and sank on the night of 17 and 18 February. During the break up, all of the cargo and fuel were released into the sea and most of the oil washed onto the beaches of nearby Cape Le Grand National Park. Seals and other marine life were oiled by the slick.[5] Two-hundred drums of chemical dispersant was used in the clean-up operation.

The subsequent investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau found the fault to be human error by the master of the ship.

Dive site

The wreck rests in 40 metres of water, with the highest points accessible 13 metres from the surface. It is considered an advanced dive, containing enclosed spaces and potential hazards such as sharp metal debris. The wreck has had a 500 metre radius no-take fishing exclusion zone around it since the 1990s, which, along with its remoteness, has protected its habitat value. Fishes living on and around the wreck include: Western blue groper, Queen snapper, Australasian snapper, harlequin fish, Port Jackson sharks and the Western blue devil. Kelp, macroalgae, sponges, soft and stony corals, sea tulips and sea stars all live on the wreck. Divers are sometimes visited by seals, dolphins and the occasional humpback whale. [3]

gollark: Complain at who?
gollark: .Trash-1000
gollark: Including Git!
gollark: Which does approximately all the work.
gollark: It connects to Coliru.

References
  1. "Sanko Harvest, Esperance, Western Australia, 14 February 1991". Major Oil Spills in Australia. Australian Maritime Safety Agency. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  2. "Sanko Harvest wreck". Western Australian Museum Shipwreck database. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  3. "Sanko Harvest | 50 Great Dives". Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  4. "Grounding of bulk carrier Sanko Harvest". Marine safety investigations & reports. Australian Transport Safety Bureau. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  5. Smith, Emily JB (28 November 2019). "Fight for the Bight protesters recall oil spill that left seal pups 'drenched to the skin'". ABC News. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
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