The Whitsundays Loses Its Magic

Gusting winds have not hampered efforts of salvage crews to finally rid the Whitsundays of the Whitsunday Magic.

Townsville-based company, Pacific Marine Group moved on the hull of the triple-masted steel sailing ship on Wednesday after winning a tender to remove both the Whitsunday Magic and the ill-fated Tateyama Maru at Gloucester Island, in the northern Whitsundays.

The removal of the wreck off Pigeon Island in Pioneer Bay was due to begin Monday but was pushed back to Wednesday.

A company representative earlier in the week said the removal of the wreck would take about 10 days however today refused to comment on the progress of the removal.

The salvage of the wreck created controversy this week after salvage expert Dave Edge said his local salvage company was not given an opportunity to bid for the tender from Maritime Safety Queensland.

In the wake of the claim Mr Edge said he referred the Queensland Government responsible for the allocation of the tender Maritime Safety Queensland to the Crime and Corruption Commission to investigate whether the tender was a “private deal between mates”.

MSQ have refused to comment on the referral or how much the salvage of both wrecks is costing the Queensland tax payer.

However it did offer a notice to boaties.

“Vessels operating in the region should also keep a proper lookout and be mindful of barge operations associate with the disposal,” a spokesperson said.

Source: Whitsunday Times.