Warning was given Zinifex barge would sink in cyclone 8/2/07:
The operators of a barge abandoned on Wednesday in wild seas in the Gulf of Carpentaria had been warned in an academic report in 2002 there was a high risk it would spill its load or sink in a cyclone.
Ten crew members of MV Wunma were winched to safety by two rescue helicopters at 1pm (AEST) on Wednesday in heavy seas in the Gulf of Carpentaria caused by Cyclone Nelson.
They were returned to land in Normanton, in far north Queensland, and were not injured in the ordeal.
MV Wunma, owned by mining company Zinifex, sent out a distress call about 10.30pm (AEST) on Tuesday after it began taking on water and suffering engine trouble as the cyclone hit.
The stricken vessel is carrying about 5,000 tonnes of zinc concentrate, and rescuers have warned it will likely sink.
The incident was an inevitable result of operating the 113-metre vessel in a cyclone prone area, according to University of Sydney marine biologist Peter Cowell.
Dr Cowell was commissioned on behalf of the Carpentaria Land Council in 2002 to report on a Queensland Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) risk analysis of the Wunma cyclone contingency plan.
Pasminco was at that time operating the Wunma.
Dr Cowell's report found the EPA's risk analysis had been flawed and put the risk of such an event too low.
"There's actually quite a few tropical cyclones (that) travel over the Gulf of Carpentaria and each and every one is going to potentially put this ship at risk," Dr Cowell told reporters.
"Whereas they (EPA) said over many decades there's a tiny risk that something would go wrong, my assessment was that every year there was a high probability that it'd happen.
"So year-on-year the probability goes even greater that eventually it'd happen.
"I did that report in 2002, it's now the beginning of 2007 and it's happened."
He said if the barge was salvaged and continued to operate, it would sink again in the future, possibly with even worse results.
"(You have) got to bear in mind that this cargo is environmentally toxic and it's operating in an area with dugongs and prawn fisheries and a very complex and rather pristine ecosystem," Dr Cowell said.
"You've got to invest sufficient money in an adequate plan to keep the risks low."
Comment was being sought from the EPA.
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