Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
A wreck beneath the waters of Pioneer Bay is due to be removed by 20th November, after the submerged vessel was pointed out by the public back in July.
The ship, known as the “Muddy Bay Wreck”, lies near the Port of Airlie, with the ownership of the vessel still under investigation by Maritime Safety Queensland.
A yellow special mark buoy has been placed above the wreck, and the Regional Harbour Master has issued a notice warning boaties of its location while arrangements are made to bring it ashore.
Transport and Main Roads is seeking a contractor to recover, remove and dispose of the wreck through MSQ’s Keeping Our Waterways Safe program. The Queensland Government has committed $15 million over three years to the program, which began on 1st July 2025.
The program follows years of efforts to address problem vessels across Queensland. Between July 2018 and December 2025, MSQ and partner agencies removed 1,142 vessels, while another 782 cases were resolved through other measures. A further 660 vessels remain under active monitoring because they are already derelict or at risk of becoming so.
The successful contractor will need to explain how the wreck will be recovered and taken to a licensed waste facility for destruction and disposal. Recycling and resource recovery must form part of the work, along with measures to protect the surrounding environment.
Any areas disturbed during the operation must be restored to an acceptable condition. Once the job is finished, the yellow buoy will be returned to MSQ’s operations base in Airlie Beach.
For the locals who regularly head out from Airlie and visitors exploring the bay, the removal will clear a hazard from shared waters. Until then, the yellow buoy marks the spot to keep an eye out for.
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