Only temporarily hopefully..........Vessel in Shipping...

Only temporarily hopefully..........


Vessel in Shipping Channel
Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (“Fortescue”) advises that a vessel has become
grounded in the shipping channel at Port Hedland following departure from the
Company’s wharf. There were no injuries and no hydrocarbon releases.
The ship had been loaded correctly with 155,000 tonnes of product and sailed
under the control of the Port Hedland Port Authority “PHPA” at the time of the
incident. The PHPA pilot was on board as per usual practice.
The vessel ran aground on the edge of the channel as it departed the harbour.
Until the channel is cleared, there can be no ship movements in or out of the
harbour. It is hoped that the vessel will be moved on the next high tide which
is around 10.48am this morning.
The MV Iron King was built in 1996 and was approved by the “Rightship”
safety system on May 7 for this shipment. It was awarded a 4 out of 5 star
rating so was automatically approved for the voyage.
The ship owner is SK Shipping PLC Europe, and they have advised Fortescue
that full assistance will be provided and a thorough investigation will be
undertaken to determine the cause of the accident.
Fortescue will provide updates as further information is received.