Work is underway to move a spanner crab fishing boat that ran aground on Queensland's Sunshine Coast when a young deckhand at the helm fell asleep as the skipper and another crew member slept below deck.
Jason Doherty from Claytons Towing Service is in charge of the recovery effort of the Matahari at Mooloolaba Beach, where the boat has been since late Saturday night.
He is monitoring the operation by assessing vision that is being relayed by a drone that is hovering above the fishing boat.
"We're going to attempt to drag the boat away from its position and dismantle it," he said.
He said initial plans to refloat the Matahari with a tug boat had to be abandoned due to damage the boat sustained when it slammed into the rocks.
"We'll push it away from the rock wall and then we're going to try and drag it a kilometre and a half down the beach to a waiting dump truck," Mr Doherty said.
"It will be pulled apart down there — it's definitely going to be a challenge dragging a 35-tonne boat down the beach."
Mr Doherty said the removal operation would take between two and four hours.
"Fingers crossed — we just have to see how it goes," he said.
