Fuel and oil onboard the MV Princess which ran aground at Monuriki Island in the Malolo Group, will be removed to minimise the risk of marine pollution.
A statement from the Marine Safety Authority of Fiji (MSAF) said work was now underway with support from a salvage specialist from Australia, who is assisting the operation.
“MSAF officers travelled to the site on Saturday, to assess the condition of the vessel, support the safe transfer of passengers and crew, and check for any risk to the marine environment,” the statement said.
“At the time of the incident, there were 30 passengers and 31 crew members onboard.
“All 30 passengers were safely transferred from the vessel and brought back to Port Denarau, along with 17 crew members. The remaining crew stayed onboard initially to assist with the response.”
MSAF said initial checks confirmed that the vessel had suffered serious damage to its rear left side, including the area where the steering equipment was located.
“Part of the vessel underneath has also been damaged.
“The vessel also experienced engine failure and was reported to be taking in water following the grounding.”
According to the authority, officers were unable to safely inspect the MV Princess underwater at the time because of rough seas and strong waves.
“The vessel is carrying about 20,000 litres of diesel fuel, however, at the time of inspection, there were no signs that the fuel tanks had been damaged.
“MSAF had taken oil spill response equipment to the area as a precaution.
“However, due to the rough sea conditions, it was not safe or effective to put the equipment into the water immediately.
“The response equipment has since been handed over to the vessel’s crew so it can be used straight away if needed.”
MSAF said once the weather condition improves, work on recovering the vessel safely will commence.
