Sanko Harvest Shipwreck

The Sanko Harvest struck a reef off Esperance, Western Australia on 14 February 1991. The vessel was initially considered salvageable, however further damage caused by the reef rendered the vessel beyond salvage. The ship broke up over the next two weeks and released its cargo of 30,000 tonnes of soluble fertiliser and bunkers of some 700 tonnes (mainly heavy fuel oil). The majority of the fuel ended up on the beaches of Cape Le Grand National Park.

It is generally accepted that Mr. Kim is solely responsible for the disaster as he should never have attempted to traverse the Archipelago at night. The route he chose to take was not a normal shipping route. On Sunday the Sanko Harvest sunk opening up other holds and all the cargo was lost..he resultant oil spill drifted to near by Islands and beaches causing a huge environmental hazard to seal and bird colonies. Countless volunteers worked tirelessly to clean up the mess. estimated to have cost $500 - $600 thousand dollars. The Master of the Sanko Harvest was a 31 year old Korean named Mr. Kim, undertaking his " maiden" voyage in command of such a vessel. Open ocean conditions and inclement weather restricted action to the application of dispersants on the concentrated oil in the vicinity of the ship. Foreshore clean-up operations continued for over nine weeks. National Plan equipment used included some 200 drums of dispersant, considerable quantities of sorbents and 600 metres of boom which was damaged beyond repair during the response operation. Clean-up operations were successful, with no long term impact from the oil. 

The vessel was initially considered salvageable. However, after 24 hours, further damage against the reef rendered the vessel beyond salvage. This markedly changed the entire operation from primarily salvage to one of pollution combat. The ship broke up over the next two weeks and released its cargo and bunker fuel to sea. The cargo dissolved and dispersed and there were no practical measures that could be taken to prevent or limit this occurring. The majority of the fuel ended up on the beaches of Cape Le Grand National Park.The National Plan State Committee initiated salvage and pollution combat operations in conjunction with Government agencies and the owners. Action to limit pollution was restricted by the open ocean and weather conditions.   Dispersant was applied to concentrated oil in the vicinity of the ship, and foreshore clean-up operations were primarily limited to beach areas. The clean-up continued for nine and a half weeks.

Two colonies of endangered New Zealand Fur seal pups were oiled and a rescue operation, initiated by CALM, was able to clean and save over 80% of all oiled seal pups. There were only 20 reported bird deaths and no reported fish deaths. A monitoring programme was commissioned by the Environment Protection Authority and no adverse effects from the fertiliser have been detected, nor are they expected. The beaches were cleaned up and it is expected no long-term impact from the oil will result.The oil pollution combat operations following the wreck of the Sanko Harvest were successful. This was due to the effort and co-operation of all the people and agencies involved, including the owners and their insurers. The ocean has taken its toll and the wreck and has divided it into three different sections. The depths vary between 13 and 44 meters of water. Officially declared a West Australian marine sanctuary in 1994 the wreck acts as a safe haven and reef for the large blue groper, red snapper and other fish that inhabit the twisted rusted remains of the wreck. It is not uncommon to have a visit from an inquisitive seal or dolphin.

What was originally seen as an environmental disaster turned out to be a major windfall for the diving fraternity it now gives the west australian dive fraterity a major size dive wreck. The second largest wreck dive in the world and the largest off the Australian coast this 174 meter long Japanese Bulk Carrier now acts as host to a vast array of marine creatures of all types.

While this would have to be one of the great wreck dives along our coast it unfortunately lies in the southern ocean and exposed to the relentless winds and swells. As a result the there are certain times of the year that it is not that accessable and you will need to check with the dive operator in esperance as to the best times and visibility. The best time to dive and improve the likely hood of getting to the wreck is during April when winds tend to be a bit lighter and less large southern ocean swells. The effort is well worth it enabling a wreck dive comparable to anything else in the world in reasonable depths that can be reached by recreational diveable depths.