Stricken Taiwanese cargo ship set to sail into Sydney dock

Taiwanese ship, YM Efficiency, which lost more than 80 containers off the NSW coast last week in rough weather, is on its way to dock at Sydney's Port Botany.

The stricken ship at sea.

The stricken ship at sea. Source: Reuters

The Taiwanese ship that lost 83 containers in rough seas off the NSW coast last week is preparing to dock at Sydney's Port Botany, as a clean-up operation continues on beaches near Newcastle.

The YM Efficiency, making its way from Taiwan to Sydney, was last week hit by heavy swells about 30km off the coast of Port Stephens, which toppled the containers into the sea and damaged another 30.

Aerial footage of the stern of the vessel on Wednesday morning shows a section of containers lying on an angle along with several badly crushed containers.

The ship is expected to berth about 9am on Wednesday, while the unloading of the remaining containers could take up to a week, according to authorities.

Investigations will be conducted by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau when the ship docks, which will determine whether further action will be taken.

The Taiwanese shipping company, Yang Ming, apologised to locals for the hundreds of kilos of debris that's washed up on pristine beaches.

"We know that the marine incident has brought a lot of public concern," Yang Ming spokesman Steven Ka told AAP on Tuesday.

"We will take full responsibility to recover and to minimise the impact to the marine environment."

Sydney harbour master Philip Holliday said it will be tricky unloading the 30 damaged containers onboard the ship.

"It is a complicated game of Jenga," Mr Holliday told ABC radio on Tuesday.

Investigations will be conducted by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau when the ship docks, which will determine whether further action will be taken against the ship's owners.

The vessel is expected to continue its voyage to Melbourne, then Brisbane and back to Asia.


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