A luxury 20-metre yacht, valued at more than half a million dollars, is headed for the scrap yard after a suspected electrical fault caused a fire that devastated the interior and burned a massive hole in the side of the vessel in a marina at Nelson Bay on the night of March 25.
The fire started about 9.30pm, and flames and smoke were seen billowing from the vessel docked alongside others in the marina. Firefighters were called from as far as Kearsley in the Hunter Valley, and the Rural Fire Service dispatched a rescue boat to aid the operation. The 11 responding crews doused the boat as it burned.
The vessel was ultimately scuppered to the marina floor as firefighters continued to douse the blaze burning in areas of the boat that remained above the water line on Tuesday morning.
At the weekend, specialist salvagers from Aus Coast Diving and Marine - a commercial diving and marine salvage operation based in Port Macquarie - had resurfaced the wreck and were working on containing and cleaning up spilled diesel and other fire debris.
Kadeem Welling, who leads the operation that deals with similar jobs around the country, praised firefighters for their efforts in controlling the fire and ensuring it didn't spread to other boats nearby.
"We were very lucky that they got there in time and got their pollution control out," he said.
"[The fire] spread into the saloon and then up into the main cabin.
"We were very lucky that none of the sister ships alongside were damaged. Usually, the smoke damage is the big one, and the clear plastic windows, usually the heat will melt them. But no other vessels were contaminated, burned or damaged."
Listings for Princess line vessels of the same age have been valued between $596,448 and almost $800,000. They boast five interior cabins, including a kitchen and bathroom and master and twin rooms.
Mr Welling said the operation to salvage the vessel had been complex and involved rigging the boat underwater before raising the wreck with inflatable lift bags. Once back on the surface, water was pumped out of the interior before the wreck was slated to be gutted and craned out of the marina for later demolition. The operation, which includes cleaning up any fuel or debris contamination, was expected to be finished by Tuesday.
Mr Welling said the vessel's owner had seen the damage and was said to have been onboard doing maintenance only a day before the fire.
"I think he is disappointed," Mr Welling said.
"He said there were a lot of memories [onboard] ... a lot of personal possessions. I think this was his second home."
The yacht was believed to have been imported from the US just before the global financial crisis of 2008.
The fire irrevocably destroyed the interior, with debris littered throughout and a gaping hole in the port side. Once removed from the harbour, the vessel's fate was a controlled demolition before being consigned to the scrap heap.
Mr Welling, a lifelong waterman and diver with a trade in plumbing and gas fitting who grew up around Forster, started the salvage business around five years ago and said he and his team have taken on a litany of salvage and inspection jobs around the country often contracted through state transport departments and the EPA.
From dealing with multi-million dollar yachts that have fallen into disaster to bridge maintenance and inspections, flood salvage, once disposing of a whale carcass that had washed up, and working on massive cruise ships, his team - all of whom are qualified divers - have performed similar salvage operations around the country.
From Nelson Bay, the crew's next project involves a 50-day stint near Wallaga Lake in the Bega Valley, maintaining heritage bridges before heading to Kingscliff to look into the water intake system around a lobster farm.
