Azure II superyacht moored at Port Denison boat harbour will be moved to Geraldton ‘soon’, owner says

The owner of a superyacht exceeding the limit for the Port Denison Boat Harbour has broken his silence, confirming he will move the unwelcome mega-vessel to Geraldton “soon”. A 2003-built, 80-tonne Azure II yacht moored at a commercial jetty in Dongara will be setting sail in the near future, according to local farmer and owner John Grove, as it relocates to a more suitable location in Geraldton. A Department of Transport spokesperson confirmed Mr Grove had informed the department in person the yacht would be on the move on Monday. The relocation could not be confirmed on Tuesday morning. Despite exceeding the boat limit for the harbour, the vessel moored next to the department-run service jetty in early February after it become grounded on shallow reef. It was left in the marina after arriving from overseas in January, raising the eyebrows of locals concerned nearby vessels could be damaged if it floated off. A group of fishermen were able to remove the 26.5m yacht from the reef on February 2 and it has remained moored inside the marina since. Mr Grove denied he was in hiding on Friday, telling 7 Regional News he was on the boat “every day or every other day”. “If you don’t have anchors, which I lost in a storm, you can’t set sail to sea,” he said. “It’s very difficult and you’re very limited to the spaces you can use (in Port Denison)— 25m seems to be the limit and this is one metre over the limit.” According to Mr Grove, one department has labelled the yacht a biosecurity risk, despite it being cleared by Customs in Broome when he brought it into Australia from Asia. But Mr Grove has signalled an end to the two-month saga, saying: “I’ve got an anchor provision back on the front again and getting ready to sail shortly up to Geraldton.” The original anchor was cut when the vessel was freed from the reef. One resident told the Geraldton Guardian the superyacht was a “nuisance” at the jetty and it was too big to stay anywhere in Dongara. A DoT spokesperson said the Department had powers under the Disposal of Uncollected Goods Act to seize the vessel and recoup costs from the owner, but confirmed it had not progressed to that stage. “The Azure II has been on the Department of Transport’s service jetty at Port Denison since February 5. The service jetty at Port Denison is not intended as long-term accommodation for vessels and is used by the commercial fishing industry who require ready access for loading and unloading,” the spokesperson said. “The Department of Transport is continuing to work with the owner of the vessel to have it moved from the harbour.” The Geraldton Guardian contacted Mr Grove on Monday for an update on the vessel’s movements.