The MSC Basel now in 'emergency anchorage' at Moreton Bay, BrisbaneA container ship ran aground in Moreton Bay off Brisbane on Monday, according to local authorities.
Initial reports said a steering fault caused the 217-metre MSC Basel to hit a sand bank five kilometres (km) southwest of Comboyuro Point on Moreton Island on its way out of Brisbane for Singapore at about 9:30 am local time on Monday.
The ship had just taken on containers in the port of Brisbane and was under marine pilotage when it ran aground, Transport Minister Rachel Nolan told the local media.
"She refloated about midday on the rising tide and she's now in emergency anchorage in Moreton Bay," said Nolan.
There appeared to be no fuel spill and no apparent damage to the environment after the grounding, she said, adding that the Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) will conduct a full investigation into what happened.
Meanwhile, MSQ inspectors have reportedly gone aboard and will be joined by investigators from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau on Tuesday.
MSQ general manager Patrick Quirk said the ship would undergo a full underwater inspection by divers and would not be allowed to sail until it is deemed safe.
On April 1, the Chinese-registered bulk carrier Sheng Neng 1 ran aground on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, leaving a three-kilometer-long scar in the coral and leaking up to four metric tonne (mt) of fuel oil.
The incident has caused Australia's Transport Minister Anthony Albanese to propose an extension of controls over shipping along the entire 3,000 kilometres (1,800 miles) of the Great Barrier Reef.