“While Transport for NSW is in contact with the owner and taking appropriate regulatory action, we will continue to work with them while the situation is resolved, including salvage costs.”
The ferry was sold more than a decade ago to a group dedicated to its restoration, known as the Baragoola Preservation Association.
Authorities are worried the wreck may further break apart and create hazards for waterway users. Credit:NSW Maritime
However, a spokesperson for the association this week said “unfortunately” the society no longer owned the ferry, and the group had “ceded the vessel [to] the people onboard”. They declined to comment further.
The ferry appears to have changed ownership only recently. The Baragoola Preservation Association said in a post on its Facebook page in September that it was exploring options to save the ferry that included moving it onto a barge or dry land, or dismantling the vessel and placing it into storage to allow it to be gradually restored.
Police said two people who were on board the ferry as it sank had fled to safety on a small boat. They were not injured.
Video footage posted online shows the ferry on its side as it started to slump into the bay, accompanied by loud creaking and snapping noises, about 10.30pm. Water then starts gushing through the cabin.
Maritime NSW published underwater imaging showing the ferry under about six to eight metres of water.
“Our teams are working to collect any debris from the wreck, and working with the Port Authority to ensure pollution entering the harbour is contained and recovered,” the marine safety agency said.
Authorities are assessing salvage options for the MV Baragoola, which is wedged beside the old coal loading wharf.Credit:NSW Maritime
Baragoola, meaning “flood tide” in local Aboriginal dialect, was built at Mort’s Dock in Balmain and launched on February 14, 1922.
The 500-tonne vessel became the first moveable object to be subject to a permanent conservation order in the late 1980s.
The vessel spent the next two decades in limbo. It passed through the hands of various owners before the NSW government removed it from the state heritage register due to its poor structural condition in 2010.
The then deputy director of the Department of Planning’s Heritage Branch, Tim Smith, said despite its significance, the vessel’s state of disrepair meant delisting was “the only valid option on heritage grounds”.
Loading
The sinking triggered an outpouring of memories from Sydney residents.
Louis Trott recalled the “amazing privilege” of living on the ferry as a ship keeper when it was moored at Blackwattle Bay in Glebe in the 1980s.
“We loved her so much. It’s been hard to observe the difficulties experienced by those who tried to help her survive in the subsequent decades.”
NSW Labor leader Chris Minns said he was “sad to see the MV Baragoola go”.
The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.
The race to pull the wreck of the Baragoola from Sydney Harbour
Source: Philippines Alive
