The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has called for expressions of interests to remove 79 shipping containers from the ocean floor off the coast of Newcastle.
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In what shapes a mammoth and specialist task, which the head of AMSA's recovery efforts previously said could cost up to an estimated $50 million, the federal agency has asked interested parties to put forward their plans to remove the sunken containers lost from the YM Efficiency last June.
In a recent incident update, AMSA said it was in the process of developing an approach to market for the salvage and disposal of up to 79 containers.
It said the approach to market would be "publicly notified and published" on the Commonwealth's AusTender website in August.
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The move comes after Taiwanese shipping company Yang Ming said through its insurance representatives earlier this year that it believed the containers should stay where they are.
Asked about the difficulty of retrieving the containers and whether there was anyone in Australia capable of completing the work, AMSA said removal methods were yet to be determined.
"Ultimately it will be up to tenderers to propose the exact method of salvage and disposal they think will achieve our desired outcome," an AMSA spokesman said.
"The salvage process could operate in a number of different ways however generally we would expect it to involve specialist vessels with heavy lift capacity removing the containers and associated debris from the seafloor.
"The containers and debris would then need to be brought into port for appropriate disposal."
The federal agency has previously expressed its frustration with Yang Ming's commitment to the recovery, including late payments to fund AMSA's remote underwater inspections.
"AMSA is moving ahead with the clean-up operation as Yang Ming and their insurers have failed to act to clean up their mess," the AMSA spokesman said.
"Leaving all the containers in the sea poses an unacceptable environmental risk for the local community and future generations, and presents safety risks for local fishers.
"While it may not be realistically possible to recover all the containers and associated debris AMSA is committed finding the best possible outcome with consideration to the full range of stakeholders affected by this incident."
The AMSA spokesman said the public would be consulted about the operation before it commenced.
"Once the tender process has been completed AMSA will be holding information sessions with the local community to consult with them on how the salvage operation will be conducted," he said.
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