The harbour triangle

Occasionally moderate size tankers or liners anchor mid harbour off Double Bay. It doesn't happen often and usually the vessel moves on to berth at a wharf or departs the harbour within 48 hours. A small tanker has been anchored off Double Bay for the past two nights and when I woke this morning I noticed through my sleepy eyes - and without my glasses on - that the tanker appeared to be sitting much lower in the water than the day before.

Sure enough, looking through binoculars I could see the water line was virtually at deck level. The tanker appeared to be sinking. I'm not sure what is happening but I took the following zoom photos of the scene from my apartment between 7.45am and 8.45am.

(Click photos to enlarge)

Low in the water with small leisure craft in attendance

Another tanker passes by as it departs the harbour

The wider scene as the other tanker heads down harbour

A Manly ferry passes by

Leisure craft circling the tanker as one of the tug boats that accompanied the departing tanker returns to the scene

I can't see the Water Police nor any emergency services present nor is there any mention of this situation on radio news broadcasts so I'm not sure what is happening but it all looks dramatic to me.

Postscript: I've been fooled. An hour later and tide and breeze have shifted the angle of the 'sinking' tanker in relation to me. I now see that some of the leisure craft I originally thought were alongside the tanker are actually floating over what I thought was the deck of the tanker. The vessel may well be a sort of floating dry dock. Looks like it may be providing maintenance services for the leisure craft. No wonder there was no interest from police or emergency services.