MV Andrew Wilson Is Being Prepared as South Australia’s Next Accessible Ship Reef

South Australia is preparing the 40-metre MV Andrew Wilson for a new role as an artificial reef and entry-level dive site in Gulf St Vincent.

The grab hopper dredger is scheduled to be scuttled later in 2026 at a site around six kilometres off Brighton. Government officials say it will be the first vessel deliberately sunk as an artificial reef in South Australian waters since ex-HMAS Hobart in 2002.

Preparations are underway in Port Adelaide. Hazardous materials are being removed, selected internal walls are being taken out and purpose-designed access openings are being cut into the hull. The plan is for the ship to be towed to the site and flooded through opened valves so it settles upright on a sandy seabed. Its exterior crane is expected to remain in place as a distinctive feature.

Unlike the deeper ex-HMAS Hobart site, officials are designing the Andrew Wilson reef for divers with entry-level qualifications. Plans describe access to spaces including the bridge, galley and engine room, but those features should not be treated as open or safe until the completed wreck has passed its post-sinking inspection. A temporary exclusion zone will remain around the site while the vessel settles, after which authorities will inspect it before public access begins.

The project is funded through the Australian and South Australian governments' broader response to the harmful algal bloom that has affected the state's marine environment. The announced A$165 million response package covers more than this individual reef. The ship reef is intended to contribute habitat while also supporting dive tourism, and the site was selected for its seabed, proximity to boat ramps and separation from major shipping channels.

Built in 1962, Andrew Wilson has a working history worth preserving alongside its future dive profile. The vessel performed dredging, pile installation, dive-support and navigation-aid work, spent time converted for sardine fishing, supported earlier reef construction and participated in recovery work after the fatal Whyalla Airlines Flight 904 crash in 2000.

NBM should track the vessel through remediation, scuttling, inspection and opening. Only after authorities publish a final position, depth, orientation, mooring arrangements, access rules and diver guidance should it become a verified Dive Site record.