Lancelin crash: WIG vessel crashes on reef near Edwards Island nature reserve off WA coast
A man and a woman are lucky to be alive after their wing-in-the-ground effect ship crashed into a reef north of Perth.
The ship crashed shortly before 12:30 pm on Saturday 350 meters from the coast near the Edwards Island Nature Reserve in Lancelin.
The male pilot and a female passenger in her 30s suffered minor injuries.
They were taken to shore by jet ski and are being treated by ambulance personnel.
A man and his female passenger escaped with minor injuries after their vessel (pictured) crashed into a reef off the coast of WA
It is understood the ship that crashed into the water is named The Mudskipper, with photos of it pictured in Lancelin Bay shared on social media earlier on Saturday.
A wing-in-the-ground effect ship “uses a cushion of air pressure generated between the craft and the water surface to allow the craft to fly slightly above the water for certain distances,” according to the Department of Transportation.
WIG ships must comply with the rules and requirements applicable to ships under the Western Australian Marine Act and the collision rules applicable to a motor-propelled ship.
“WIGs are prohibited from operating in ground effect (airborne) mode in any ‘protected waters’ within the state without authorization from DOT,” according to the department’s website.
More to come.
The WIG crashed 350 meters from the coast near Edwards Island Nature Reserve, north of Perth