A former pirate ship, the South Tomi, was open to the public for the first time since its arrival in Geraldton, Western Australia, as part of the town’s Sunshine Festival during October. The Geraldton Rotary Club ran guided tours, giving the public a fascinating insight into the ship’s colourful history. In April 2001, the South Tomi was seized for trawling protected Australian waters near Heard Island, Western Australia, in search of the precious Patagonian toothfish.
When spotted by Fisheries officers, the Spanish skipper and international crew fled. They were pursued more than 6,100 nautical miles over 14 days before finally being boarded by Australian SAS troops 600 kilometres off Cape Town, South Africa.
It was at that time the longest Fisheries chase in Australian Maritime history. Australian Fisheries confiscated the ship with a cargo of more than 100 tonnes or $1.5 million worth of Patagonian toothfish, bound for international black markets.
South Tomi Project Coordinator, Trevor Beaver, said volunteers were half way through the mammoth task of removing all salvageable or environmentally damaging material from the vessel.
“Their effort has been boosted by the recent addition of Green Corps to the project,” he said.
Trevor Beaver said gutting freezers to remove their polyurethane lining was a difficult job that had slowed progress in recent weeks. The South Tomi will eventually be sunk and used as a dive wreck off the coast of Geraldton.
