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Maritime New Zealand News

12 May 2023

Containership Towed to New Zealand After Mayday Call

Shiling adrift off the coast of New Zealand (Photo: Carl Babe / Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter Trust)

A Singapore-registered containership that lost power and steering in heavy seas off the west coast of New Zealand has been towed to safety.The 5,100 TEU capacity Shiling requested assistance from Maritime New Zealand at around 8:30 a.m. local time Friday, after losing main propulsion while en route from Auckland to Wellington.The 294-meter-long containership started rolling severely after drifting into heavy swells about 22 nautical miles northwest of Farewell Spit and issued a mayday call at 11 a.m.

22 Feb 2021

HamiltonJet Launches Electro-Hybrid Drive (EHX) Demo Boat

(Photo: HamiltonJet)

Waterjet propulsion specialist HamiltonJet said its new Electro-Hybrid Drive (EHX) demonstrator boat is now in operation, having successfully passed its Maritime New Zealand Certificate of Survey.ARIA, a 15-meter aluminum hydrofoil-assisted catamaran, is fitted with HamiltonJet’s new Electro-Hybrid Drive (EHX) system unveiled last year. According to the manufacturer, the system offers all the advantages of electric drive with the full capabilities of diesel, namely lower CO2 emissions combined with the speed…

07 Jul 2020

Log Carrier Loses Power Off New Zealand

(Photo: Maritime NZ)

A log carrier that lost power and went adrift while leaving New Zealand's Port of Tauranga Monday has been towed to anchorage in deeper water while it awaits further inspection, local maritime safety authorities said.The Singapore-flagged Funing was outbound for Lanshan, China when it lost engine power and began drifting amid  30 knot winds and significant swells between Mount Manganui and Matakana Island around 12:30 a.m. local time on Monday.The 180-meter ship was pushed by the wind and tides and snagged chains holding one of the buoys marking the shipping channel…

23 Jul 2019

Workshop on Maritime Security in S.Pacific

International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the South Pacific Community, in collaboration with the Government of Vanuatu, are holding a Regional Maritime Security Workshop in Port Vila, Vanuatu (22-25 July). "Good maritime and port security is the enabler for maritime and economic development through maritime trade. It can be taken for granted when it works, but maintaining good security is essential," said the UN body.The workshop coincides with IMO Secretary General Kitack Lim's visit to Vanuatu, Fiji and Australia - the first time an IMO Secretary General visits the South Pacific.The regional workshop brings together Heads of Designated…

02 Jul 2019

GloFouling Gets Going in Pacific

The initial phase of the Glofouling Partnerships project is now well and truly underway with a series of technical workshops in the Pacific, stated  International Maritime Organization (IMO).The UN body said that the key message delivered to participants was that once introduced, marine invasive species can be hard to eradicate - and invasive species represent a potential major threat to the Pacific Ocean's biodiversity and the ecological integrity of Small Island Developing States.The GEF-UNDP-IMO GloFouling Partnerships project aims to protect marine biodiversity by addressing bio-invasions by organisms which can build up on ship's hulls and other marine structures.Meanwhile…

17 Jan 2019

TAIC Final Report on Emerald Princess Cruise Ship Explosion

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.

26 May 2017

Pacific’s Wild Weather Challanges in Search

The Pacific’s wild weather and vast distances make it a challenging location for search and rescue, said Keith Manch, Director Maritime New Zealand, in his opening address at the Pacific Regional Search and Rescue workshop in Auckland, New Zealand (22-26 May). The objective of the workshop is to provide Pacific Search and Rescue (SAR) coordinators and responders with the tools to improve coordination between national SAR agencies. The event also aims to improve regional collaboration through formal protocols and communication ensuring a uniform SAR response throughout the Pacific. International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s Carlos Salgado…

19 Dec 2016

Korara: New Ferry Delivered to Fullers Group

Photo: Incat Crowther

Korora, the first of a two vessel repeat order following the operational success of Te Kotuku, delivered in 2014, was recently delivered. Korora is a 34m catamaran, a collaboration between operator Fullers Group Ltd., designer Incat Crowther and builder Q-West. A near sister ship to Te Kotuku, Korora will operate in Auckland and adjacent coastal areas and evolves the design with the addition of a sundeck and an increase in passenger capacity to a total of 401. The main deck features seating for 178, a large café, luggage racks and wide access doors.

24 Jun 2016

New Zealand: Maritime Trade is Key

Photo: Maritime New Zealand

Globally, shipping is on the rise – already 80-90 percent of the world’s trade is by ship; that is more than 12 billion metric tons of goods annually, shipped by 1.5 million seafarers on 50,000 merchant ships. Without shipping, the import and export of goods on the scale necessary to sustain the modern world simply would not be possible. Shipping is especially important to New Zealand, an island that relies heavily on its vibrant maritime sector. “At least 97 percent of our trade is transported by sea – it is the crucial lifeline for our economy and way of life…

14 Jan 2016

Two Incat Crowther Catamaran Ferries for Auckland

Incat Crowther reports that construction has commenced at Q-West in Wanganui, New Zealand, on a pair of additional 34m catamaran passenger ferries for Fullers Group Ltd. The new boats will be sister ships to Te Kotuku which was also built at Q-West and delivered in 2014. The vessels will carry 401 passengers and include the addition of a sun deck. The main deck features seats for 174, a large café, luggage racks and wide access doors. Also fitted will be two toilets (one of which is handicap-accessible) and racks for 14 bicycles. The upper deck features 76 exterior seats and 81 interior seats. An additional bar and pair of toilets are also located on the upper deck. The wheelhouse retains its successful asymmetric configuration, designed in consideration of the operational requirements.

16 Dec 2015

Maritime Worries Over Ship Inspections

The Maritime Union of New Zealand is concerned about the reduction in monitoring of international shipping by Maritime New Zealand, the Government agency responsible for ensuring a “safe, secure and clean” maritime environment. Less than half of “Priority 1” vessels (49%) coming into New Zealand were inspected in the 2014/2015 year, according to Maritime New Zealand’s annual report. That is well beneath the target of 70% inspections for the year, and the 82% of inspections achieved in the 2013/2014 year. Maritime Union of New Zealand national secretary Joe Fleetwood says the monitoring and investigation of compliance by international shipping was a key role of the agency.

22 Jul 2015

Dredging Company Sentenced for Worker’s Death

Dredging NZ has been fined $79,500 and ordered to pay $42,000 in reparation after the death of a worker, crushed on a dredging barge in West Park Marina, Auckland, on November 19, 2013, Maritime New Zealand reported. Peter Bateman died after being crushed between an excavator and the wall of a hopper, on a barge being skippered by Brent Darrach. Dredging NZ was sentenced July 21 in Auckland District Court after pleading guilty to a charge laid by Maritime New Zealand under section 6 of the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992, that as an employer it failed to take all practicable steps to ensure the safety of employees at work. In May…

25 Jun 2015

Containership Responds for Yacht Fire Rescue

Two New Zealand sailors and their Mexican skipper were rescued from a liferaft 280 kilometers south of Niue after their yacht caught fire just after midnight June 23, Maritime New Zealand reported. The 15-meter U.S.-registered yacht SV Sunny Deck was travelling from Rarotonga to Tonga when a fire in the engine compartment engulfed the vessel. The 36-year-old skipper was on watch, and the two other sailors – both from Hamilton, aged 67 and 70 – were asleep at the time. The crew had no time to dress or grab any equipment before abandoning the vessel to a liferaft but the skipper managed to reach the EPIRB - fire had already melted the lanyard attaching it to the vessel.

10 Jun 2015

Dive Operator Sentenced after Propeller Death

A New Zealand dive operator and skipper have been sentenced for the February 2014 death of a diver struck by a propeller while on a trip to the Poor Knights Islands, Maritime New Zealand announced. Whangarei diving company The Dive Spot Limited has been fined $50,000 and co-director and skipper Mark Andrew Barnes fined $25,000 after the death of diver Bruce Porter on February 7, 2014. Reparations of $50,000 and $30,000 are also to be paid by The Dive Spot Limited and Barnes, respectively. Maritime New Zealand prosecuted the company and Barnes under sections 15 and 19 of the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 for failing to take all practicable steps to ensure that no action or inaction at work caused harm to any person.

27 May 2015

IMRF, McMurdo Partner on SAR Initiatives

Bruce Reid (Photo: IMRF)

The IMRF, the charity supporting maritime SAR service globally, and McMurdo, a company in search and rescue and maritime domain awareness solutions, announced a partnership aiming at several key search and rescue (SAR) initiatives to be launched at next week’s World Maritime Rescue Congress in Bremerhaven, Germany. Working together the IMRF and McMurdo will target some of the key challenges facing maritime SAR globally including rescue team training, the safety of artisanal fishermen and the emerging requirements of SAR services managing the unsafe mixed migration by sea.

24 Apr 2015

Maritime Casualty Forum Held in Singapore

Speakers at the Asian Marine Casualty Forum listen to conference chariman, David Pockett (center). Photo courtesy of LOC

More than 250 shipping and insurance professionals gathered for the first ever Asian Maritime Casualty Forum held during Singapore Maritime Week. The two-day conference, hosted by global marine and engineering consultancy London Offshore Consultants (LOC), highlighted some of the vital issues in salvage and vessel wreck removal and in particular rising costs, technological challenges and the need for the parties involved in major casualties to work more closely together. The industry…

26 Mar 2015

Salvage, Wreck Removal Beset with Chronic Problems

The basic nature of maritime casualties, salvage and wreck removal has evolved rapidly over the last few years. Ships and offshore constructions have become more technologically elaborate, and in many cases simply bigger and more complex than ever. There isincreasing concern about whether current international legislation and industry practices cancope with the issues. Many are skeptical regarding the fundamental format of casualty contracts, questioning if they are justchronically outdated. Nick Haslam, Shipping Director of leading international maritime consultants, the LOC Group, is convinced initiatives to improve casualty management and create a better understanding between all parties must be heard, debated and positively supported.

23 Mar 2015

Ports of Auckland Fined for Stevedore Injury

Ports of Auckland Ltd (POAL) has been fined $55,000 and ordered to pay $25,000 in reparation to a stevedore who suffered serious injuries unloading a containership at the port in January 2014, Maritime New Zealand Media reported. POAL admitted a charge laid by Maritime New Zealand under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 of failing to take all practicable steps to ensure the safety of employee, and was sentenced in Auckland District Court March 20, 2015. The stevedore was injured while attempting to dislodge a twist-lock that was stuck in the top of a two-high container stack on board the Lica Maersk. The man was using a five-meter unlocking pole which, with the weight of the twist lock, pulled him from the top of a container 15 meters down to the water.

22 Feb 2015

NZ: Oil Spill off Taranaki

Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) said it was monitoring the situation of a small oil spill at the Raroa platform, about 70 kilometres off the Taranaki coastline. The operator, the New Zealand branch of international oil company OMV, says about 250 litres of oil was spilt on Friday when a pipe split during a routine transfer operation. It says it sincerely regrets an oil spill that is being investigated by MNZ. A flight with MNZ observers on board this morning couldn't find any signs of an oil sheen following the spill. Peter Zeilinger, managing director of OMV New Zealand Ltd, which runs the operation, said a small spill occurred when oil from the Raroa was being transferred to the tanker Nectar.

13 Feb 2015

Coast Guard Rescue Underway in Antarctica

(U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class George Degener)

A U.S. Coast Guard crew is en route to assist a 207-foot fishing vessel with 26 people aboard beset in ice approximately 900 miles northeast of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star is attempting to reach the crew of an Australian-flagged fishing vessel, Antarctic Chieftain, who contacted Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand Tuesday evening for assistance after becoming trapped in the Antarctic ice. The crew of 40-year-old cutter has reported heavy, snow, wind and ice conditions at times as well as large icebergs along their course.

04 Feb 2015

Maritime NZ Puts Rena Salvage on Pause

Maritime New Zealand has approved a pause in work on salvaging the Rena while the wrecked cargo ship’s owners wait for their resource consent application to be heard. The ship's owner Daina Shipping has been seeking permission to leave sections of the wreck and some debris on Astrolabe reef, where the container ship grounded in 2011. Maritime New Zealand said the pause would take effect only once the wreck reached the state set out in the consent application, which was expected to be heard later this year. "Maritime NZ accepts that it is not reasonable to require further salvage work to be carried out, beyond what is required to reach the wreck state set out in the application, until resolution of that process," said director Keith Manch.

27 Jan 2015

Launch of Asian Marine Casualty Forum

An industry forum aimed at producing a practical response to the current crises in maritime casualty management was officially launched in Singapore today. LOC Group (LOC), the leading international maritime consultancy group, is set to host the forum, the first of its kind, as a cornerstone gathering during the forthcoming Singapore Maritime Week (April 20-24, 2015). Singapore is the perfect location for this initiative being one of the busiest hubs for shipping and a centre of excellence for the management of casualties in the region. The two day meet is intended for global industry leaders from all parties involved in marine casualties. It takes place on Thursday and Friday April 23 and 24 at Singapore’s prestigious Fullerton Hotel.

19 Dec 2014

NZ Report: Human Error to Blame for Rena Grounding

Photo: maritime New Zealand

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.