Trawler salvage like MacGyver, union says A bid to refloat a 50-foot trawler stranded off a beach in Sydney's south has failed. A DELICATE salvage operation off Cronulla became more like the TV show MacGyver when the incident controller stripped down and swam out to a stricken trawler with a rope and knife between his teeth, a union says. The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) says the failed bid to refloat the stranded fishing trawler is "woefully inadequate" and if mismanaged, could cause an "environmental disaster." The MUA compared the salvage effort by Sydney Ports to the cult TV show MacGyver in which a secret agent solves complex problems with everyday materials like his swiss army knife. "You have the incident controller stripping down to his budgie smugglers and swimming out to the boat with a coil of rope, some duct tape and a knife between his teeth," MUA Sydney Branch secretary Paul McAleer said in a statement on Wednesday. But Sydney Ports has completely rejected what it said were false and malicious claims made by the MUA. It said it is "very satisfied" with the salvage team's efforts to safely remove the vessel. "Right from the outset Sydney Ports Harbour Master Philip Holliday insisted the salvors take a softly softly approach to refloating the vessel to protect the integrity of the hull," the authority said in a statement. It said it had been "quickly established" that there had been no breach of the fuel tank, following the initial grounding of the vessel. The authority dismissed the comparisons of the incident controller with MacGyver, saying his boarding of the vessel was anything but reckless. "Police divers actually boarded the vessel first to ensure it could be done safely and only then did they call on our incident controller to wade through knee-deep water to the vessel," it said. He was wearing trousers, boots, tee-shirt and a Sydney Ports Emergency life vest. The 50-foot fishing boat Challenge ran onto the rocks off Cronulla Point in Sydney's south after midnight on Monday. Four Indonesian crew members were rescued after they tried to escape the choppy water in a small boat. Sydney Ports says the boat will stay where it is for another day. An investigation continues into why the trawler ran aground.