Originally owned by Rio Madeira GmbH & Co KG, a subsidiary of Hamburg Süd,[3] she has had two owners and been registered under three flags.

The vessel is one of three ships of the Rio class built for Hamburg Süd by Daewoo Mangalia Heavy Industries in 2009.

[1] The height from the top of the keel to the main deck, called the moulded depth, is 24.2 metres (79 ft).

[1] Its total carrying capacity in terms of weight, is 80,300 long tons deadweight (DWT).

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority responded, with an emergency vessel from Newcastle expected to arrive on the afternoon of 22 October.