Four tugboat propellers — each about 2 tons and nearly 10 feet across — were stolen from an Australian industrial yard and are collectively valued at roughly $1.3 million. Investigators believe the thieves targeted the copper inside the propellers and intended to sell it on the black market; the copper alone would be worth about $51,000 at scrap prices. The theft is part of a global trend of large-scale metal crimes, from stolen bridges to entire buildings and even sand, driven by rising metal demand.
Tugboat Propellers Worth $1.3M Stolen in Sophisticated Copper Heist
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Thieves pulled off an audacious industrial theft in Australia, making off with four enormous tugboat propellers that together were valued at about $1.3 million. Each propeller weighed roughly 2 tons and measured nearly 10 feet across, making the operation both complex and risky.
Details of the Heist
Authorities say the removal of the massive blades was deliberate and required planning and heavy equipment. The propellers, which help tugboats maneuver while pushing and towing large ships, were stolen from an industrial yard. Investigators believe the suspects intended to strip the metal and sell it on the black market.
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Why Copper Was the Target
Despite the high replacement value of the propellers, officials suspect the primary motive was the copper content. Demand for copper has risen with the growth of electric vehicles and the expansion of data centers that support artificial intelligence. At current scrap prices, the copper inside the four propellers would fetch roughly $51,000 — far less than the total equipment value but still attractive for organized scrap thieves who operate in gray and black markets.
Other Large-Scale Metal Thefts
This crime is part of a broader pattern of large-scale metal thefts around the world:
- 2019 — A 75-foot railway bridge in Russia was stolen for its metal; although out of use, the theft caused about $9,000 in damage to the owner.
- 2022 — A 60-foot iron bridge in India was removed after men spent days cutting it while pretending to be government workers and then transported to a scrap yard.
- 2020 — In the U.K., two men dismantled and stole a 12-by-33-foot building from a sports center in a single day despite staff attempts to stop them.
- 2010 — A St. Louis house was stolen for its high-quality bricks; at the time, bricks had a resale market to local brickyards.
- Undated — In Jamaica, 500 truckloads of white sand were taken from the Coral Spring resort beach and believed sold to rival resorts amid allegations of collusion.
Why this matters: As demand for metals grows, criminals are increasingly targeting uncommon and large-scale assets. The tugboat propeller theft highlights both the scale of these operations and the economic pressures driving scrap-metal crime.
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