Crew on a Manx-registered ship which ran aground in Australia have been criticised for not being fully trained to cope with emergency scenarios.

In July last year, the bulk carrier Iron King left Port Hedland with a pilot on board, but its rudder failed and it hit a beacon before becoming grounded.

Now, a report into the incident by the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau, says the ship’s rudder twice failed to respond shortly before the accident.

The Bureau also says the ship's pilot wasn’t properly trained and the ship's master didn’t know the emergency steering change-over procedure.

The report does say a swift response by those involved prevented a bigger disaster.