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ITALY COURT RULES Concordia CAPTAIN UNFIT FOR COMMAND

ROME  (Reuters) - Italy’s top appeals court has ruled that Francesco Schettino, the captain of the Costa Concordia, was unfit to command the cruise liner which ran aground and capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio in January, causing at least 30 deaths.

In a written explanation of its decision to maintain a house arrest order against Mr Schettino, the Court of Cassation said he had shown “little resilience in performing command functions or in handling responsibility for the safety of persons under his care.”

Mr Schettino has been accused of wrecking the 114,500 tonne liner by bringing it too close to shore, where a rocky ledge tore a gash in its side and made it keel over and sink.

Investigators also accuse Mr Schettino of delaying evacuation and losing control of the operation, during which he abandoned ship before all 4,200 passengers and crew had been taken off the vessel. He has been charged with multiple manslaughter, causing the accident and abandoning ship prematurely. A pre-trial hearing was held in Grosseto, near Florence, in March.

The Court of Cassation said Mr Schettino had shown himself unable to manage a crisis and to ensure the safety of his passengers and crew and said there would be a risk of a repeat of the disaster if he were given a command again.

That part of the ruling justified the decision to keep Mr Schettino under house arrest at his home in Meta di Sorrento, near Naples in southern Italy, as a concrete danger of a recurrence must be shown for the arrest order to be upheld.

Thirty bodies were recovered and two are missing. The wreck lies on its side in some 20 metres of water within a stone’s throw of the picturesque island port. Salvage experts are expected to stabilise the wreck by August and then refloat it and remove it from the marine natural park off the Tuscan coast where it sank.

‘SIGNIFICANT’ OIL SPILL AT PORT OF TIMARU

There has been what officials are describing as a ’significant oil spill’ at the Port of Timaru.

A specialist clean up is underway after the spill yesterday morning (2/04) from a deep sea fishing vessel. The exact amount of oil released is not yet known, but it has been contained.

A shoreline assessment is being conducted in the harbour to assess the impact on the shoreline. Specialist absorbent material from Christchurch has also been shipped to Timaru.

 

TITANIC 100 YEARS ON… AND STILL ARGUMENTS CONTINUE

With this week’s 100th anniversary of Titanic’s sinking, the interest in all things Titanic is steaming faster than the doomed cruise ship on its maiden voyage.

One of the novel new theories says Titanic could have been the victim of a mirage that is similar to what people see in the desert. It’s the brainchild of Tim Maltin, a historian who has written three books about Titanic. The latest, an e-book titled “A Very Deceiving Night” emphasizes how the atmosphere may have tricked the Titanic crew on a cloudless night.

“This was not avoidable human error,” Mr Maltin said from London. “It’s just about air density difference.”

It was a beautiful clear night and for a couple of days, there had been something strange going on in the air over the North Atlantic, reported by all sorts of ships, including the crew on Titanic, Mr Maltin said.

The unusually cold sea air caused light to bend abnormally downward, he said. The Titanic’s first officer, William McMaster Murdoch, saw what he described as a “haze on the horizon, and that iceberg came right out of the haze,” Mr Maltin said, quoting from the surviving second officer’s testimony.

Other ships, including those rescuing survivors, reported similar strange visuals and had trouble navigating around the icebergs, he said.

British meteorologists later monitored the site for those freaky thermal inversions and said 60 per cent of the time they checked, the inversions were present, Mr Maltin said.

The same inversions could have made the Titanic’s rescue rockets appear lower in the sky, giving a rescue ship the impression that the Titanic was smaller and farther away, Mr Maltin said.

Physicists Donald Olson and Russell Doescher at Texas State University have another theory in Sky &Telescope magazine that fits nicely with Mr Maltin’s. Mr Olson who often comes up with astronomical quirks linked to historical events said that a few months earlier, the moon, sun and earth lined up in a way that added extra pull on earth’s tides. The earth was closer to the moon than it had been in 1,400 years.

They based their work on historical and astronomical records and research in 1978 by a federal expert in tides.

The unusual tides caused glaciers to calve icebergs off Greenland. Those southbound icebergs got stuck near Labrador and Newfoundland but then slowly moved south again, floating into the shipping currents just in time to greet the Titanic, the astronomers theorized. Mr Maltin said the icebergs also added a snaking river of super-cold water that magnified the mirage effect.

Tides and mirages may have happened, but blaming them for Titanic’s sinking “misses the boat,” said Lee Clarke, a Rutgers University disaster expert and author of the book “Worst Cases.”

“The basic facts of Titanic are not in dispute: The boat was going too fast in dangerous waters,” Mr Clarke said. If Titanic had stopped for the night because of ice like the British steamship Californian did, “tides and mirages wouldn’t have mattered.”

On April 14, the day it hit the iceberg, the Titanic received seven heavy ice warnings, including one from the Californian less than an hour before the fateful collision. The message said: “We are stopped and surrounded by ice.” Titanic sent back a message that said “Shut up. We are busy.”

Mr Clarke said people keep looking for additional causes “because if it’s nature or God, then we’re off the hook, morally and practically.”

Yale disaster expert Charles Perrow said he found the mirage theory plausible, especially because cold air played visual tricks that were a factor in a 1979 airplane crash in Antarctica that was originally blamed on pilot error.

Steven Biel, who wrote “Down with the Old Canoe: A Cultural History of the Titanic Disaster,” said he understands the search for other reasons.

“There’s something appealing about retrospectively gaining control over an event that’s centrally about uncertainty and contingency and lack of control,” he said.

 

 

 

 WAHINE DAY HIGHLIGHTS WHEEL FOR MUSEUM 

April 10 is Wahine Day - the day in 1968 when a fierce storm hit Wellington, causing widespread damage and leading to the foundering of the Wahine off Barretts Reef.

Now the wheel of the Wahine -a piece of New Zealand maritime history - is set to become a museum exhibit, all the way from the spare bedroom of a Christchurch retiree’s house. Its anonymous owner wants to give it to the Museum of Wellington City & Sea, which already has several Wahine artefacts on display.

The Christchurch man, who was on the first tug that went out to help the stricken ferry in 1968, wants to remain anonymous, but said he was able to “acquire” the wheel not long after the sinking.

“There were three wheels. I managed to acquire the ship’s wheel, and the right bow rudder wheel somebody else grabbed,” h e said .The third wheel was damaged during the disaster.

The wheel had acted as a pet-proof barrier in his home - keeping his dog out of the spare bedroom. However, the man had to have the dog put down last week because of ill health, and the wheel “had just been lying around”, he said. He had been considering giving it to the Wellington museum for several years.

The wheel was put to more appropriate use on occasion, appearing at a seafarers’ reunion in Christchurch several years ago. Redcliffs resident Terry Knight, a friend of the wheel owner, borrowed it for the reunion, and took an interest in its history.

He spoke to Kenny MacLeod, the Wahine helmsman who was at the wheel when the ship struck Barrett Reef, shortly before his death in 2009.

“I said we’ve got the wheel off the Wahine. He said his last recollection was lying on the deck, holding on to the bottom of that wheel to prevent being swept down.”

The wheel owner plans to approach the maritime museum soon and offer it the relic.

Photograph: Iain McGregor/ Fairfax NZ.

MARITIME NZ CHARGES RENA OWNERS

Maritime New Zealand has charged the owner of the Rena over its grounding on Astrolabe Reef.

Six months after the event, Greece-based company Daina Shipping has been charged under two sections of the Resource Management Act which relate to the discharge of harmful substances from ships in the coastal marine area. The charge carries a maximum fine of $600,000, and $10,000 for every day the offending continues.

Daina Shipping Co is the registered owner of Rena, and has overall responsibility for the operation of the ship.

The charge has been laid in the Tauranga District Court and is expected to have its first call on May 25. The Rena’s master and second officer have already pleaded guilty to charges laid by Maritime New Zealand last year and they’ll be sentenced on the same day.

MNZ update - Rena #205: Examining the Damage

 A full team of 16 Svitzer salvors were on board Rena this week, examining the damage resulting from Wednesday night’s heavy weather event. It is likely to take some time to make this assessment.

Bulkheads on the stern section have been damaged by heavy seas.  Initial assessments confirm no further significant change in the state of the wreck.

 There is currently a 2-3m swell around the Astrolabe Reef. These conditions mean it is impossible for the salvors to access the holds to assess how many containers were lost overboard last week. They will do this as soon as conditions ease. It is expected to remain calm over the weekend.

 Smit Borneo is due to depart the port today to resume its position at Rena.

 The amount of oil remaining on the wreck is estimated to be in the order of tens of tonnes. This oil is located in a number of different pockets throughout the wreck. Salvors will continue to strip oil from the wreck when they are able to access these pockets.

A total of 649 containers are now accounted for onshore. This comprises 575 containers removed from Rena by Svitzer salvors and 74 containers recovered from the sea and shoreline by Braemar Howells container recovery teams.

The Braemar recovery team has successfully secured one container located at sea and recovered a large quantity of debris released from the wreck in the stormy conditions. Braemar deployed a plane to search the coastal waters and number of vessels early yesterday morning. The debris collected, bags of milk powder and timber, virtually filled a 40 foot container being used for storage.

 The recovery team say there were reports that two containers had been released, but only one with milk powder contents could be found. It was towed to an anchor point on the west side of Motiti Island and marked with a buoy. There is debris floating at the northern end of Motiti Island. Once this has been picked up, divers will be used to retrieve debris which has washed onto the northern tip of the island.

 A shoreline clean-up assessment technique (SCAT) team has surveyed the beach from Mount Maunganui to Omanu following reports of small amounts of oil coming ashore. This was confirmed as small droplets of possibly fresh oil along the high tide mark. The team removed the larger deposits of oil - it is likely the smaller deposits will break down naturally in the tidal movement. The team will monitor the oil’s progress and assess whether further clean-up activity is required.

(Image credit: LOC).

 FINDING EASY RIDER WAS ONE OF RESOLUTION‘S LAST ACTS

Capturing sonar images of the Easy Rider wreck may be one of the last things the navy’s sonar survey ship Resolution does in its 22-year career.

The Resolution will be decommissioned next month and its commanding officer, Lieutenant-Commander Matt Wray, shown at right, said playing a part in the search for survivors was one of his proudest moments on board.

On Thursday evening the Resolution was on its way to Fiordland when the emergency signal came blaring over its VHF radio. “We contacted our HQ and the Rescue Co-ordination Centre and said, `We’re on our way’,” Lieutenant-Commander Wray said.

The ship steamed south and reached the search area about 10.30pm. Taking police and coastguard staff on board, it formed the centre line of a nine-strong search fleet scouring the darkness.

The crew were out in force on deck, manning searchlights and using the ship’s sonar equipment to search the sea floor. At 4am, the search was suspended, but the Resolution, accompanied by Bluff-based boat Awesome, carried on searching through the night.

At 8am, the sonar made contact with something on the sea floor - an unnatural object about the same size as Easy Rider. Awesome’s crew lowered a camera and confirmed it was the capsized boat.

Divers spent most of Saturday looking for signs of crew, but the boat was empty.

Lieutenant-Commander Wray said he wished finding the boat could have returned the missing crew to their families.

“It would have been fantastic if what happened could have provided closure [for them],” he said. The crew had been deeply affected by the tragedy and their hearts went out to the victims’ families.

Next month, the ship will be decommissioned and all its crew transferred to other postings. It is no longer required by the navy.

Lieutenant-Commander Wray said the search for Easy Rider, as well as Resolution’s role after the Christchurch earthquake, would be the most satisfying memories of his command.

SHIP ALLEGEDLY SAILED WITH HOLE IN HULL

The captain of a Wellington ferry has been charged with allegedly sailing to Picton and back with a gash in the side of the ship. The passenger ferry Santa Regina got the gash, and a hole in the hull, after colliding with a fishing boat during high winds while trying to back into its berth on April 26 last year.

John Henderson, who works for Strait Shipping one week out of three as master of the Santa Regina, faces breach of Maritime Rules charges of failing to notice the gash on an inspection and failing to notify Maritime New Zealand. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has elected to go to trial.  He is due back in Wellington District Court next month.

Strait Shipping is also charged with two Health and Safety charges in the relation to the same incident.

A judge heard Mr Henderson’s application for name suppression last month but refused to grant interim suppression until the end of any hearing. Mr Henderson indicated he would appeal but has since abandoned the attempt to prevent his name being published.

Judge Mary O’Dwyer had said Mr Henderson had been a master mariner for 48 years and worked not only for Strait Shipping but other organisations, including being a pilot in the Marlborough Sounds, Fiordland and consulted for Environment Southland.

Judge O’Dwyer said Mr Henderson said publication of his name would adversely impact his career and his reputation.

The judge said Henderson is alleged to have sailed to Picton and back before the gash was noticed. She said there was no suggestion that Mr Henderson’s employment with Strait Shipping would be affected.

RENA REPORT CLAIMS SHIP TOOK  SHORT CUT TO MEET PILOT

The Rena’s passage plans were repeatedly changed on its journey from Napier to Tauranga on October 4 and 5 last year, a Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) interim report reveals.

The captain of the container ship was looking out at the ocean trying to see what a radar signal had picked up moments before the Rena crashed into the Astrolabe Reef. The ship was heading directly for the reef, at a speed of 17 knots, when the radar signal alert was activated, just nine minutes before the grounding. But the master wasn’t aware of the course the ship was on and was walking back to plot the ship’s position when it grounded.

The commission released its findings this week, which show that the Filipino crew took several shortcuts so they could reach the pilot boat near Tauranga by 3am on October 5. But they never made it to their destination - the ship grounded on the reef at 2.14am.

The report shows that the ship’s position was recorded on two different charts, which were not cross-referenced; that there was a 2 degree difference in the ground tracking (the vessel’s track) and the compass reading; and that documents were altered after the grounding.

Statements from the second mate and master about what happened in the moments leading up to the grounding contradicted each other. While the second mate told investigators that he showed the master the charts, plotting the ship’s path, prior to the radar signal alert, the master said he didn’t see them.

Commissioners boarded the ship on October 6 and took documents and equipment to analyse. The documents reveal that the last time the ship’s position was marked on a chart was at 1.20am, which showed the vessel starting to divert from its plan and head towards the reef.

The Tauranga Harbour Control had given the Rena a deadline of 3am to reach the port pilot which would steer the ship into the port.

The second mate called the master at 1.35am to discuss altering the course to shorten the journey. The master agreed, but documents show that the ship had already started to divert from its passage plan at 1.20am, 15 minutes before the call was made.

“The second mate’s plan was to navigate closer to Astrolabe Reef,” the report states. “He said he placed a mark on the chart about one nautical mile north of Astrolabe Reef, which was the point to which he intended to navigate the Rena before making the final course adjustment to the pilot station. The master has stated the mark made on the chart was put there after the grounding.”

A watchkeeper later went to the chartroom to plot the ship’s position at 2am, but the master and second mate were leaning over the chart and he didn’t want to interrupt them. He noted the position in the log book, but someone later altered it.

The ship’s position at 2am was plotted after the grounding, and was further north than the Rena’s position at the time, TAIC’s investigator in charge, Robert Thompson, said. But it is still unclear as to who was responsible for making the mark, Mr Thompson said.

There was no evidence to suggest that the crew were drinking or celebrating the master’s birthday, as rumours had suggested, Mr Thompson said. But the culture on board the ship and the relationship between management and crew would be investigated.

The ship’s passage plan was altered several times throughout the course of its journey from Napier, including a shortcut around Mahia Peninsula, which saw the ship travel a lot closer to the peninsula than originally planned. The ship was steered by autopilot for most of the voyage and from midnight until the grounding.

Mr Thompson said it was “normal” for a ship’s course to differ from the grounding track, as waves, currents, tide and the wind will move the ship’s course sideways “so the direction the vessel is heading in may be different to the ground track”.

The second mate had set up a parallel index and used Motiti Island as a reference. The index would be compared with the ship’s course, but the master turned it off because it was cluttering the system. Parallel indexes are not mandatory, Mr Thompson said.

More details will emerge as the investigation continues, chief investigator Tim Burfoot said. Mr Burfoot said the crew were aware of the Astrolabe Reef as the ship’s original plan reveals. But a series of small alterations and the two degree difference between the ground tracking and compass reading led the ship straight into the reef.

“Our purpose is not to lay blame and we don’t assist any agency whose responsibility is to lay blame,” Mr Burfoot said.

The investigation’s findings cannot be used in civil or criminal proceedings, but will be used as a basis to improve maritime safety. Both the master and second mate have pleaded guilty to charges over the grounding. They have remained in the country since the grounding and are awaiting sentencing.

MARITIME NZ RESPONDS

Maritime NZ said it would consider the report in due course, but chairman David Ledson said the majority of accidents were caused by human error.

Earlier, Mr Ledson acknowledged Maritime NZ had failed to communicate with the public in the early days of the Rena grounding and had been reluctant to use volunteers. He told Parliament’s transport and industrial relations select committee his organisation had learnt valuable lessons from the Rena incident.

Maritime NZ was also slow to engage with local iwi, he said. The emphasis had been on a technical approach but there also needed to be more empathy with the community.

“There was a threat to the environment which made it important (but) there was always going to be an emotional response.”

From the beginning Maritime NZ’s response was based on the belief an oil response was needed and they knew best how to handle that,  Mr Ledson said. “But there was another part of it too which was called ‘a ship on a reef’.”

Things happened reasonably fast in those first few days but the communication with the public did not properly express that, he said. However, by reflecting on the process as things went along they were able to adapt and improve the relationship with those affected.

“We learned that it’s not just a matter of speaking at the community. You’ve actually got to engage in conversation with them.”

Best practice in New Zealand was to engage with volunteers, he said. No decision had been made on whether to prosecute the owners of the ship, but the fall-out from the grounding had cost Government $30-$35m so far.

The removal of the containers would be a “long, slow, demanding process”, chief executive Keith Manch said. It was likely to take 4-6 months and then it would be decided what to do with the remainder of the ship.

RENA: WHAT WENT WRONG

* Rena under pressure to make 3am pilot boat deadline off Tauranga

* Rena course changes to short-cut the distance to the pilot boat takes it toward Astrolabe Reef

* Confusion over the new course on the bridge, with the watchkeeper, captain and second mate all involved

* two navigation systems gave different readings, two degrees apart

* the crew failed to immediately react to a 2.05am echo signal dead ahead on the radar

* conflicting evidence over when a pencil mark on the chart one nautical mile north of Astrolabe was drawn

* Rena runs aground at 2.14am, travelling at a speed of 17 knots (31.5kmh)

- © Fairfax NZ News

CLIFFORD BAY FERRY TERMINAL IS ‘BIG CALL’, SAYS PM

Prime Minister John Key has described a proposal to move the interisland ferry port from Picton to Clifford Bay is a “big call”.

Mr Key visited Blenheim this week and told a Chamber of Commerce meeting of about 250 people that former transport minister Steven Joyce was of the view that the Government should take a look at it and make a decision either way.

The Transport Ministry is doing a feasibility study and is expected to report to Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee by the end of March.

“The Government has put in $650,000 to have a look at the proposal. I haven’t seen the report. I have heard the arguments that say restrictions over time mean that Interislander can’t make the number of trips it needs to do. The counter argument to that is there is a huge amount invested in the current port. It’s a big call, a pretty big call. But let’s have a look … It’s worth having a discussion,” he said.

He said afterwards that it was hard for him to predict what the Government would do, because he genuinely had an open mind about the proposal.

“It’s important to at least do a scoping study. There are a lot of different things to weigh up.”

Mr Key said the Government looked at moving substantial infrastructure around. It wasn’t just a matter of looking at the new opportunity at Clifford Bay. It was also important to discuss the merits of the current proposition of the port in Picton.

“There is a lot of investment there, from local authority through the port company, freight forwarders, operators, tourism. If a decision was made to go ahead with Clifford Bay, there will be a lot of discussion to be had, and it could be a long way in the future before it was operating.”

Mr Key confirmed there had been private sector interest in developing Clifford Bay and it could be an opportunity for a public-private partnership arrangement.

Moving the port from Picton to Clifford Bay has been a possibility for decades. Proponents say it would reduce travel time to Christchurch and reduce fuel use even more, as it eliminates the hilly part of the journey at Seddon. Opponents say the site is too exposed to be useful and there would be environmental risks. Picton businesses have also expressed concern about what impact the move would have on them.

Interislander has said it is interested in the proposal. It will have to replace ships in the future, and new ships will have speed restrictions to reduce wake damage in the Marlborough Sounds. This would limit how many trips across Cook Strait could be done each day, affecting its business.

RENA CAPTAIN AND OFFICER PLEAD GUILTY

The Rena captain and second officer pleaded guilty in Tauranga District Court this week to 10 of the 11 charges laid over the grounding of the container ship. The men were charged following an investigation into the ship’s collision with Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga on 5 October.

A week later Maritime New Zealand charged the men with operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk, which carries a maximum penalty of $10,000 or a maximum term of imprisonment of 12 months. In November, MNZ laid further charges against each man relating to the discharge of harmful substances from ships or offshore installations. The following month they were also charged under the Crimes Act, alleging they wilfully attempted to pervert justice by altering ship documents after the grounding. Each charge under the Crimes Act carries a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment.

In court the captain entered guilty pleas to all six charges laid against him, and the second officer pleaded guilty to charges laid under the Maritime Safety and Crimes Act, but entered no plea to a charge laid under the Resource Management Act.

The men’s identities remain suppressed. They are due to be sentenced at Tauranga District Court on May 25.

SAILINGS DISRUPTED AFTER DECK OFFICER STOOD DOWN

Passenger ferry sailings have been cancelled after a near-miss between a small recreational fishing boat and the Interislander ferry Arahura in Cook Strait.

One of the Arahura’s deck officers has been routinely stood down on full pay while the incident, off Karori Light about 4.30pm on Monday, is investigated. His absence from the roster has resulted in all Arahura passenger sailings being cancelled until tomorrow and has highlighted staffing shortages at Interislander.

Interislander general manager Thomas Davis said the company needed 54 deck officers to operate its three ferries Arahura, Aratere and Kaitaki, and at present had “just under 54″.

“Recently we have had an unusual amount of staff on sickness and bereavement leave, which has resulted in the cancellations of some sailings.”

The 10.25am Arahura passenger sailing from Wellington to Picton and the return 2.25pm sailing were cancelled yesterday. The sailings [until Friday] have had to be cancelled as relief crew to cover the absence were unavailable. The company was “extremely apologetic” to passengers whose travel plans had been disrupted.

Arahura would still make freight-only sailings during the course of the investigation, as fewer crew members were required to meet safety requirements on those sailings.

There was no suggestion at this stage that the Arahura deck officer stood down was at fault in the “close quarters” incident. In maritime terms, close quarters refers to any situation in which a ship’s master considers action may be needed to avoid the risk of a possible collision.

RENA CONDITIONS ‘PRETTY GRIM!’

Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) is still in no position to estimate how long it will take to remove all the containers and debris from the stricken wreck of the Rena.

Salvors removed 8.5 containers from the aft section of the wreck over the weekend, taking the total number of containers lifted off the decks to 544. There were 1368 on the ship when it grounded on Astrolabe Reef off the Tauranga coast on October 5 last year. The number of containers recovered from the sea and beaches remains at 70.

A MNZ spokeswoman said container removal is moving at a good rate, but it’s still not known how long it will take to clear the decks.

“We are problem solving every day. Every new part of the wreck that they work on, every new type of container they try and remove is its own different problem and requires different techniques to do it,” she said.

Salvors are now cutting the containers into pieces, often emptying them of their contents first, so they can be removed. “That’s just going to be the way it works from now on, they’re just going to have to continue with that until they get to the end point,” the spokeswoman said.

Salvors also removed 53 large bags of lamb from formerly refrigerated containers over the weekend.

The spokeswoman said conditions aboard the Rena for the salvors, with the rotting food products, are “pretty grim”. The smells from the containers have been a feature of the salvage operation from the early stages, she said. “Obviously it’s months on, you’re talking about very rotten content sometimes.”

Containers packed with fish and animal hides had earlier been removed from the wreck. Salvors are using protective gear and gas masks when needed and scientists are regularly on board monitoring gas levels, the spokeswoman said.

BARGE MAY BE TRUCKED BACK TO AUCKLAND

The navy’s VIP barge remains stuck in Tutukaka Harbour as engineers work to assess the damage. On it’s way back from Waitangi Day events, the boat struck rocks at Red Rock Bay and was left with a 60cm hole on its starboard side.

A preliminary investigation into the cause of the crash is underway with the results due to be delivered to the navy command team. Decisions will also be made through the Court of Inquiry on whether any charges will be laid.

The boat was hoisted onto a cradle so two navy engineers could make assessments, Lieutenant Commander Angela Barker said. It’s not yet known whether a temporary patch job will suffice or if the barge will have to be driven back to Devonport Naval Base on a truck, Ms Barker said.

Built in 1980, the barge is used to transported dignitaries who visited the base and was used at Waitangi Day events to transfer VIPs from ships onto the Treaty grounds. Governor General Jerry Mataparae was among those transported by the barge on the weekend. The crash was labelled “embarrassing” by Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman.

The fact that the rocks were marked on the chart made it obvious that an error in judgement had occurred, he said.He said he had called for a full inquiry into the incident and didn’t want to prejudice it by speculating on the cause.

NAVY VESSEL HITS ROCKS OFF NORTHLAND

By Hayden Donnell, Matthew Theunissen and Paul Harper.

A navy vessel is taking on water after hitting rocks on its way back from Waitangi. The navy launch VIP struck rocks off Tutakaka, Northland, about 7am today (8/02), a rescue co-ordination centre spokesman said.

The three crew members on board were all safe and had managed to get off the vessel. The navy vessel HMNZS Manawanui was on its way to assist.

The ship was on its way back from Waitangi following commemorations there during the long weekend.

The Rescue Co-ordination Centre got a distress signal about 7am followed by a mayday call shortly afterwards. The mayday call was cancelled once the crew members had made it to safety.

Navy spokeswoman Lieutenant Commander Angela Barker said the 14m launch was now in Tutukaka marina. She said an investigation into the incident was set to be launched once the vessel was back at Devonport Naval Base.

Kate Malcolm from Dive Tutukaka said the vessel, which she believed to be one used to transport dignitaries, has been tied to the beach off Marina Road.

“It has definitely taken on water. It’s good they’ve got it into the harbour or it likely would have sunk.”

An offshore patrol vessel has now arrived at the scene. Ms Malcolm understood it was going to be towed out to sea by an offshore patrol vessel where the water would be pumped out.

“It’s not a major issue … maybe a little bit of an embarrassment for the Navy. We’ve already sunk two wrecks at Tutukaka. It would be nice to have three but we’ll let them take this one back.”

The 14m VIP barge was commissioned by the Navy in 1980.

Photograph: Twitpic / Kate Malcolm /APNZ.

BOATIES FORCE FERRIES TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION

By KATIE CHAPMAN

Cook Strait ferries are being forced to swerve and blast their horns as boaties cross their path.

The Interislander and Bluebridge ferries have been involved in at least five incidents in a year where small craft have crossed their paths, forcing the ships to take evasive action, documents reveal. But while the near-misses were disappointing, signs existed that boaties were taking more care around ferries, Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) said.

In one incident in the last year, the Aratere had to turn hard to starboard and do a round turn to avoid a collision, after a small vessel “inexplicably” crossed its path. In another, the ferry was unable to contact a yacht that was in its path, and had to alter course to avoid it.

“It was not obvious that [the yacht] had noticed Aratere at any time and they certainly did not take action to avoid impending on our passage,” the report said.

The MNZ’s incident reports, released under the Official Information Act, reveal details of the five incidents. There were 32 other safety incidents reported by Cook Strait ferries in the year ended October 31.

Most of the other incidents involved loss of power, or collisions with wharves. The five incidents compare to 18 in a year in 2008.

MNZ spokesman Ross Henderson said the improvement was pleasing, but it was still a concern that some boaties did not give large ships the right of way.

“While any reduction in incidents is positive, the fact that a small number of boaties are still apparently not aware of their obligations when it comes to keeping a safe distance from ferries and are still engaging in this type of risky behaviour is of concern.”

Skippers had to be aware of the maritime rules regarding large vessels like Cook Strait ferries, he said.

Maritime rules state that all vessels under 20 metres in length cannot impede the passage of a ship in a channel. Under the 500-tonne rule, skippers of pleasure craft and other smaller vessels must give way to Cook Strait ferries and other large vessels above that tonnage. That meant keeping a proper lookout, plus maintaining a safe distance.

Interislander general manager Thomas Davis said skippers of small vessels had to remember that big ships were unable to swerve quickly. “Due to their size, ferries are not as manoeuvrable as small boats and can take much longer to stop if they need to take quick action.”

It was pleasing to see fewer incidents being recorded though, and probably a reflection of better education around the responsibilities of small boat owners, he said.

© Fairfax NZ News

RENA CLEAN UP COSTS TO BE $130 MILLION

The estimated total cost of the Rena clean-up is about $130 million and of that government agencies have so far spent $28 million, Parliament has been told. Environment Minister Nick Smith says the $130 million figure is “a crude estimate” and there won’t be any certainty about the total cost until salvage and clean-up is completed.

The container ship MV Rena has been aground on a reef off Tauranga since early October, spilling oil and debris which has washed up on beaches and islands.

Dr Smith says most of the costs are being met directly by the Rena’s owner, Greek shipping company Costamare, and involve salvaging fuel, cargo and the ship itself. The government intends recovering from Costamare and its insurers the $28 million its agencies have spent, he said.

WELLINGTON FERRY OPERATOR CHARGED OVER COLLISION

Wellington ferry operator Strait Shipping is to defend health and safety charges after the Santa Regina suffered hull damage in a collision with a fishing boat last year.

The Santa Regina had been trying to berth when strong winds knocked it into the Southern Protector, causing a hole in the hull and a gash in the ferry’s side on April 26.

The company is due back in court in six weeks.

A Strait Shipping employee was also charged under Maritime New Zealand regulations with failing to notify the incident and failing an inspection of the damaged ship. He sought name suppression yesterday. Judge Mary O’Dwyer, in Wellington District Court, refused but continued suppression to allow him to appeal. He has also pleaded not guilty.

NOISY SHIPS ATTRACT MORE HULL FOULING

Ships in port running generators are attracting more hull-fouling sea creatures because of the noises they make, according to groundbreaking research by New Zealand scientists.

Marine fouling, where barnacles, mussels, sponges and algae attach to a ship’s hull, is a huge cost to the shipping industry through increased drag. Millions of dollars are spent each year controlling fouling on commercial vessels and a lot of it involves applying toxic anti-fouling paint.

In world-first research, NIWA and Auckland University scientists have discovered that fouling of vessels is greatly increased by the underwater sounds produced by the vessels. Ships’ generators continue to run while they are in port and appear to produce a lot of underwater noise.

Trials with underwater speakers and recording of cruise ships, logging and container ships, and mussel larvae showed the larvae settled on the noisy hulls about 40 per cent quicker than the silent hulls, said NIWA biosecurity scientist Selena Wilkins.

“The mussel larvae settled very quickly - within a few hours. This is within the time frame that the larvae would be exposed to the noise from a generator in a vessel in port.”

The “very exciting” research could have huge implications for not only the efficiency of ships, but also for biosecurity as many invasive organisms can be spread by ships’ hulls, Dr Wilkins said. The scientists are hoping to suggest ways of reducing the underwater noise produced by ships, such as dampening or eliminating sound or switching to shore-based electrical supply when berthed.

It is known that sound triggers larvae of many coastal organisms to settle more rapidly.

Fish and crab larvae are attracted toward the underwater sound of waves breaking on coastal reefs and noises produced by other reef-dwelling organisms during feeding.

CORONER BACKS REPORT INTO SAILOR’S DEATH

A coroner has backed a transport investigator’s call for international shipping regulators to improve safety on ships after a man was crushed to death in a watertight door.

Chandima Anuradhu Weerasekara, 35, the chief engineer of the Oceanic Discoverer, died after being trapped in the door for more than eight minutes while the ship was berthed in Napier in February 2009.

A Transport Accident Investigation Commission report found the door didn’t meet the minimum requirements of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, and the ship’s safety management system didn’t ensure the watertight doors were properly maintained. It was also possible the audible alarm warning that the door was closing wasn’t working, the report said.

The report called on the director of Maritime New Zealand to discuss watertight door safety with the International Maritime Organisation, and for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority chief executive to address issues with the safety management system on board the Oceanic Discoverer. It also recommended the manufacturer of the watertight doors to address possible design issues.

Coroner Christopher Davenport said he wouldn’t hold a formal inquest as it had already been covered thoroughly by the TAIC report. He endorsed its recommendations.

 SHIP’S DOOR CLOSED TOO FAST SAYS TAIC REPORT

A ship’s watertight door in which the chief engineer died after being trapped for more than eight minutes was set to close too fast and its alarm may not have been working, an investigation has found.

The 34-year-old engineer on the Australian-registered ship Oceanic Discoverer, which was berthed in Napier, was trapped in the door for more than eight minutes in February 2009 before he was found. He was resuscitated but never regained consciousness and later died in hospital.

A Transport Accident Investigation Commission report found the door didn’t meet the minimum requirements of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, and the ship’s safety management system didn’t ensure the watertight doors were properly maintained. It had been set in remote-close mode when the master closed it remotely from the bridge, which meant it would close automatically when the user released the opening handle, rather than local-control mode.

“The chief engineer possibly tried to pass through the door before it was fully open, and for some reason it began closing and trapped him,” a summary of the report said. “The door had been set to close at twice the allowable closing speed, which would have likely contributed to the accident.”

It was also possible the audible alarm warning that the door was closing wasn’t working, the report said.

The report says advice from various maritime administrations and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) are inconsistent, and says they should look at having one recommended way of doing things when the safety issue spans a number of systems and problems.

It called on the Director of Maritime New Zealand to discuss watertight door safety with the IMO, and for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority chief executive to address issues with the safety management system on board the Oceanic Discoverer. It also recommended the manufacturer of the watertight doors to address possible design issues.

RENA OFFICERS FACE NEW CHARGES

The two sailors facing charges related to the grounding of the cargo ship Rena on the Astrolabe Reef are each facing a new charge of obstructing/perverting the course of justice.

The 236m ship struck the reef early on Wednesday October 5.

The Rena’s captain and navigation officer appeared in the Tauranga District Court where the new charges were laid. Details about why the new charges were laid were not revealed in court as the Crown required a time extension to allow new documents to be filed.

The men were also charged under the Maritime Transport Act for operating a vessel in a manner likely to cause danger and under the Resource Management Act for discharging a contaminant.

Judge Christopher Harding extended their interim name suppression. The pair was due to reappear in court on February 29.

MNZ will set up new unit for Rena inquiry

 Maritime New Zealand will establish a dedicated unit to manage the response, investigation and inquiry into the Rena’s grounding in Tauranga harbour.

The organisation has started advertising for a general manager for the unit that would be made up of “MNZ staff, secondees and specialists.”

About 350 of the 1700 tonnes of oil on board spilled into the ocean after the cargo ship ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef, Tauranga on October 5, and 65 containers are unaccounted for.

Several inquiries are under way and the ship’s master and navigational officer  have been charged under the Maritime Safety Act and are awaiting trial.

A Maritime New Zealand spokesman said the Rena response was expected to take up to two years - and a dedicated unit was needed so the organisation could also handle other business as usual activities.

“MNZ is a small organisation, and large numbers of staff are already working on these work streams. Given the long term nature of the Rena response, this will impact on MNZ’s ability to deliver its mandatory regulatory and safety functions.”

The new units core duties would be to provide and co-ordinate the investigations, prosecutions, salvage, operations and removal of the wreck as well as assisting with negotiations between the Rena’s owners and insurers.

Transport, Accident and Investigation Commission spo0kesman Peter Northcote said while most of the fact gathering had already been done, its investigation into the grounding was at an early stage. A timeframe of between 12 and 24 months from the accident date was common, but the commission aimed to have its investigation finished within a year, he said.

PORT AKMONS WILL SEAL UP BREAKWATER

Crayfish lurking in Port Taranaki’s breakwaters will get a shake-up next year when the structures are beefed up with thousands of tonnes of new akmons. New Plymouth residents cant help but notice a large pile of irregular-shaped concrete blocks accumulating behind Port Taranaki headquarters in recent months.

These are akmons and will be used to strengthen both the lee breakwater and main breakwater early next year.

Port Taranaki chief executive Roy Weaver said the akmons, which were made on site by port workers, would be used to strengthen and repair the breakwaters after heavy seas had moved and eroded some of the blocks over the years.

The breakwaters required ongoing maintenance and this latest spruce up would take about three years, he said. On the main breakwater, 13-tonne akmons would be used, while 4.5-tonne akmons would be used on the lee breakwater. Huge waves eroded and relocated akmons over time, so fresh ones were needed periodically, he said.

“On some parts of the breakwaters, holes, slumping and irregularities were visible, he said. “Akmons will get tossed around in big storms and they will roll around over time even though they are made of concrete.”

In 2008, raging seas tossed several 13-tonne akmons metres out of position and two ended up on top of the lee breakwater. An extra 100 akmons would be added to the main breakwater while the lee breakwater would get an extra 80, he said. A crane situated on top of the breakwaters would be used to lower the akmons into position. The budget for this year’s maintenance was $350,000 and the upgrade would be completed in five stages.

Breakwaters were a necessary feature at the port because it was not a natural port with calm conditions such as Wellington and, Auckland, Mr Weaver said.

Caption: Mr Weaver is shown at right with Port Taranaki Civil Supervisor Rob Wilson.

RUSTED ROPE COST SEAMAN HIS LIFE

An Indonesian crewman on a cruise ship drowned in Lyttelton Harbour earlier this year after falling from a lifeboat because a wire rope was so rusted it broke.

In January, the 29-year-old, who was not named, was greasing the wires of a lifeboat on the side of the ship MS Vollendam with another crew member when a wire snapped and both men fell into the water. One crewman was rescued after he clung to a bucket but the other man’s body was recovered hours later. He had been wearing heavy clothing and boots. Neither was wearing a life jacket.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) report into the accident, released last week, said that the wire that failed was “heavily corroded”. Ten other wires near the same lifeboat on the Vollendam were found to be corroded and needed replacing.

The design of the lifeboat davits - which are used to lower the boat into the water - meant it was difficult to apply a protective coating of grease to the wire, and to check it had been greased properly, the report said.

TAIC made three urgent safety recommendations, including telling the davit’s makers to alert all its customers about the problem and what should be inspected, and advising it should also look at redesigning the davit.

STATEMENT FROM OWNERS REGARDING RENA GROUNDING

“Following the grounding and spill from our vessel the Rena on October 5, we apologised to the people of New Zealand and particularly to those living around the Bay of Plenty and surrounding areas and we do so again with all sincerity,” owners Costamare have stated.

“The efforts of our appointed salvors, with the excellent support of Maritime New Zealand, have removed just about all of the oil on board and we thank and congratulate them for their efforts. We also thank the thousands of volunteers who have helped clean the beaches.

“Our insurers are working closely with the salvors and will be paying for the costs of removing the oil from the vessel. Our insurers will also continue to pay for the costs of salving the cargo and the vessel. In this respect, now that the oil has been removed, the focus will shift initially to the removal of the containers.

“Costamare will continue to assist the authorities with their investigation into the circumstances of the incident.”

TSUNAMI CAPTAIN NAMED INTERNATIONAL SEAFARER OF THE YEAR

The captain of a dry bulk vessel that calls at New Zealand ports has been recognised by Lloyds for outstanding seamanship during the Japanese tsunami. Captain Zhu Qianchun has been named “International Seafarer of the Year” at the Lloyd’s List Global Awards ceremony 2011 in London, sponsored by Lloyds Register.

Captain Zhu is master of Pacific Basin Shipping’s Port Pegasus, which last month called at Bluff. The timing of the awards meant he was unable to attend the ceremony.

The vessel, a handysize bulk carrier,  was berthed at Onahama, about 180 kilometres from the epicentre when the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami struck. After watching the dock and terminal building collapse, and with a shoreside unloader still in one of the ship’s cargo holds, Captain Zhu and his crew battled the tsunami without the support of tugs, pilots, port control or linesmen.

An eight metre swell submerged the dock and for 18 hours captain and crew worked the vessel’s propulsion and steering. They manouvred the ship, often at full power, to fight the tsunami surges and keep it alongside the berth. Meanwhile the unloader was still fixed in the hold and at the end only two of 12 mooring lines were holding. When the tsunami subsided, the ship remained undamaged and there were no injuries to crew.

The company’s chief operating officer, Jan Rindbo said at the ceremony that Captain Zhu showed great leadership and skill on that devastating day, as well as tremendous maturity for a young man who had only been promoted to master one month prior to the event. Captain Zhu started his career with Pacific Basin 10 years ago.

Pacific Basin has a fleet of over 160 vessels, and is headquartered in Hong Kong. It has an office in Auckland and is represented in Bluff by Pacific Shipping Agencies Ltd.

LYTTLETON PORT INSURANCE CLAIM IS SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE RECORD

Lyttelton Port of Christchurch is working through what is thought to be the biggest single corporate insurance claim ever made in the Southern Hemisphere.

The ongoing claim process will run through a rebuild that will probably last five or more years. It will cost insurers and reinsurers hundreds of millions of dollars, with the total thought to be more than $300 million.

Despite the damage that rocked the port’s operating base as a result of the devastating earthquakes of February and June, the port has for the most part operated as efficiently as it can so that exports through its wharves have not suffered.

Those efforts were recognised at the 9th annual Champions of Canterbury event, which named the port for its exporting efforts as an innovative response to the earthquake recovery. Chief executive Peter Davie said the recognition was important to the company and staff.

Straight after the quakes the company had staff “walking over the hills to get to work because they couldn’t get through the tunnel … “I think it’s shown a heck of a lot of resilience from all of our staff to get the port up and running as quickly as it has … and I think on the innovation side of things, the fact that we’ve managed to take the majority of the rubble out of the central city and put it into reclamation is a really good solution - that means the community wins and we win,” he said.

The February and June quakes put the port out of operation on two occasions and damaged facilities. Export and import volumes through the port were good, with strong coal, log exports and container volumes continuing. The port was not hosting as many cruise ships this season, Mr Davie said.

 MARITIME QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORK REVISED

Maritime New Zealand has now completed the clean slate review of commercial qualifications and operational limits that it began in April 2009.

The outcome is a relevant qualifications and appropriate operational limits framework (QOLF) meets industry needs while ensuring the safety of vessels, their crew, passengers and cargo, and protection of the marine environment. The final framework is now available.

The implementation programme for the QOLF also includes implementation of the amendments to the maritime STCW Convention agreed in Manila in June 2010. The STCW Convention sets international standards for seafarer certification, training and fitness for duty of watchkeepers.

Maritime New Zealand’s QOL/Manila programme will now:

• amend existing Maritime Rules to take account of key changes - initially to give effect to the initial Manila agreements and later to reflect th e new QOLF
• carry out further consultation on the redrafted rules
• develop new syllabuses
• develop and implement new systems, processes (including on-line application processes) and documentation to support the new framework
• ensure Maritime New Zealand staff are ready to support the new framework.

Download the Qualifications and Operational Limits (QOL) framework [PDF: 1.39Mb, 86 pages]

QOL framework update — summary of changes (June 2011) [PDF: 164Kb, 2 pages]

Further informaton is available on this topic at industry topic three: Maritime Qualifications Revised.

NEW TRAINING PROGRAMME FOR PILOTS POPULAR

The new pilot training course provided by the New Zealand Maritime School is fully booked, and now under way.

An amendment to the Maritime Transport Act has changed the licensing requirements for harbour pilots. Last month the school ran a full first course under the new changes with eight pilots participating from around the country.

“Requirements for training have changed,” Captain Kees Buckens said. “Previously, pilot training was unregulated and differed extensively from port to port, but now these courses can contribute to mandatory continuous professional development requirements introduced by the amendment.”

The school has run a Maritime NZ-approved advanced pilot programme since 2004 and is the only training facility in New Zealand to offer the course. New Zealand has 15 main harbours and eight smaller harbours. Under the amended Act, each port must provide a structured training programme for pilots every five years.

Captain Buckens said that pilots in training at the school could have virtual operating experience of each of the ports in New Zealand because all of their operating features were programmed into the school’s simulators.

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