Culture

It’s Been 15 Years Since The Pasha Bulker Became A Feminist Icon

Miss Pasha showed women that even in the greatest storms, women can do anything.

by Merryana Salem  8 June 2022
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Forget the Ever Given in the Suez Canal, it’s 15 years since the coal ship Pasha Bulker became stranded on Nobbys Beach, becoming an icon around the world.

Let me take you back to June 2007. Facebook had only been open to the world for a year, Vladimir Putin had only been Russia’s president for a few months, ‘Umbrella’ by Rihanna was number one in the charts, and the world’s eyes were on Newcastle’s Nobbys Beach.

There, on Awabakal land, a 76,000-tonne bulk carrier ran aground in the wee hours of the morning. Reports often differ on exactly why the ship became beached, but it is agreed that the storm came in quicker than expected and didn’t give the ship’s crew enough time to clear the coastline.

Every Novocastrian, including myself, remembers where they were when the news broke of that big ass boat’s arrival. It had been a week of history-making east coast lows that caused over 1.6 billion dollars worth of damage thanks to floods, cyclonic winds and torrential rains.

But none of that would stop 1000s of locals or even tourists from braving the tempest to catch a glimpse of the ship that would become a Newcastle icon. Over the three weeks that the MV Pasha Bulker was stranded, she made headlines around the world and inspired some unreal local photography.

But it also has to be said that I believe the Pasha Bulker is a feminist icon. In 2007, she was making a statement, a statement that women should not be afraid to take up space 13 years before Miss Evergiven shamelessly copied her move in the Suez Canal.

Like all feminist icons of old, she has her flaws. Miss Pasha caused significant damage to Nobbys’ sandbank and reef. Gale force winds of over 100kms an hour, heavy rain, and Miss Pasha all contributed to the erosion of Newcastle’s coastline.

Between the 3 attempts to remove the Pasha Bulker from where she chose to take her stand, Greenpeace used her hull to stage a protest. The non-profit emblazoned the phrase, “this is what climate change looks like” on the hull in glowing red letters. We love a feminist who uses her shortcomings to advocate for others to learn from her mistakes.

Pasha was returned to the sea and refloated on July 2, 2007. Her name has been changed a few times since then and she now goes by Xanthea, but her legacy lives on.

A commemorative piece of the Pasha Bulker’s hull remains on Nobbys beach as a sculpture. Her legacy also includes the creation of a new coal ship queuing system where ships now wait their turn to load far out to sea.

Photo Credit: Corey Davis/Getty Images