Local reports said the the 79,000-dwt Ulusoy-12 (built 2011) was taking its cargo on board when the incident occurred on Thursday.
"Ulusoy-12 was almost finished loading at Barney Point Coal Terminal when the vessel's mooring lines parted and the vessel drifted away from the berth and into the shipping channel," a Gladstone Ports spokesperson said.
"The vessel touched bottom, dropped anchor and did not continue to drift further into the shipping channel.
