Accident Investigation Commission News

The New Zealand Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has released its report on the injury of a crew member during ladder operations on the container ship Moana Chief, citing weak safety culture on the part of the vessel’s operator.The incident occurred in the Port of Auckland on December 10, 2021 when the container ship Moana Chief was preparing to leave port. The crew had started to retrieve its telescopic accommodation ladder for stowing. A crew member’s leg was…

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission has published its report on the February 2017 accident in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, on board the passenger cruise ship Emerald Princess, in which a nitrogen cylinder burst, causing one fatality.The Chief Investigator of Accidents, Captain Tim Burfoot, says the ship’s crew were re-pressurising the gas cylinders after maintenance, when the cylinder burst and fatally injured a nearby crew member.The cylinder was part of a stored energy system providing an alternative means of launching lifeboats in the event of power failure. Such systems are common on cruise ships.“The nitrogen cylinder burst at below normal working pressure because its casing had corroded to about 30% of original thickness,” said Capt.

A review of coastal navigation safety by Maritime NZ has found that there is a sound framework in place to manage the movement of ships around the New Zealand coast, with procedures in place to assess risk and adjust safety measures if required. Maritime NZ Director Keith Manch said the review, begun in April last year, was prompted by an anticipated increase in the number of ship visits to New Zealand, a trend toward larger ships, and technology changes in navigational aids. Consideration was also give to a Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) recommendation following the grounding of the Rena that Maritime NZ collect data on shipping movements around the New Zealand coast, and monitor and control the use of virtual aids to navigation around the New Zealand coast.

A passenger ferry, Pee Jay V,  carrying 60 people caught fire off the coast of New Zealand on Monday, officials say, but all those on board were rescued safely. The incident began at about 3:45 p.m. local time on Monday when a call came in from a White Island tour boat in the vicinity of the Whakatane Harbour, located on the North Island of New Zealand. Live pictures showed large flames coming from the vessel, and black smoke continued to billow from the ferry at 5 p.m. Police spokeswoman Kim Perks said all 53 passengers and seven crew members were forced overboard to escape the fire and smoke. Transport Accident Investigation Commission will look into what caused the blaze on the boat when the trouble at sea occurred on Monday afternoon.

New Zealand's Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) published its final report into the grounding of containership Rena in October 2011. The TAIC’s investigation found that the grounding was a result of improper crew practices, and that equipment/machinery malfunction played no part in the incident. According to the report, the Liberian-registered containership Rena had left the New Zealand port of Napier at 10:20 a.m. on October 4, 2011 bound for the New Zealand port of Tauranga. The master had given an estimated time of arrival at the Tauranga pilot station of 3 a.m.

On August 18 the Remote Operating Vehicle (ROV) operating from the Royal New Zealand Navy Diving Tender, HMNZS Manawanui, has allowed formal identification to be made of the sunken vessel resting on the seabed as the Princess Ashika. The ROV identified the vessel by allowing the Royal New Zealand Navy’s (RNZN) Diving and Underwater Search Team to read the ship's name plate. Conditions on the surface are not currently favorable but the Navy team is continuing with its efforts. The water clarity is reported to be very good and this has allowed the team to conduct a thorough search of the sunken vessel. One side of the Princess Ashika is obstructed and the ROV is unable to see into the passenger compartment. The vessel is sitting flat on the seabed and appears to be intact.

The New Zealand Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) released the Marine Occurrence Report relating to the engine room fire on the passenger ferry Harbour Cat in Auckland Harbor on 16 January 2003. While the ship was proceeding from Birkenhead to Auckland, a fire was discovered in the starboard engine space. The fire was extinguished and the ship proceeded to port on its port engine. One crewmember suffered smoke inhalation. The owner was advised to remind all crews that opening an access to investigate a fire may exacerbate the fire and appropriate caution should be exercised. In the future, such ferries should be equipped with remote fire detection and extinguishing systems. Source: HK Law

The New Zealand Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) issued a report of the near grounding of the ferry ARATERE on September 29, 2004. The ferry was entering Tory Channel, a restricted waterway, when it failed to make a programmed course alteration while in automatic steering. The master intervened and made a manual alteration of course moments before the ferry would have grounded at full speed. The cause of the problem has not been definitely determined, but it appears that the automatic navigation and track steering system probably defaulted to autopilot mode because it received an erroneous signal from an external input…