Beleaguered Shiling cargo ship to depart Wellington after mayday

Two port tugs met MV Shiling and helped it to berth when it was towed to Wellington. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The beleaguered MV Shiling cargo ship will leave Wellington at 3.30pm this afternoon after it lost power and issued a mayday call with 24 crew members on board.

The breakdown happened 22 nautical miles from Farewell Spit on May 12 and multiple helicopters and a Defence Force Hercules were sent to the site where the 294-metre vessel was drifting in rolling seas.

Ocean-going tug Skandi Emerald happened to be in Port Taranaki for work at the time and was dispatched and safely secured the troubled vessel. Shiling was then towed to Wellington, where it has remained ever since undergoing repairs and then sea trials.

Maritime New Zealand confirmed it has lifted its detention order on the ship.

Shiling’s owners have agreed to have the vessel escorted by MMA Vision, which is capable of emergency towage, to 200 nautical miles off New Zealand’s coast.

Regulatory operations deputy chief executive Deb Despard said this will provide an extra layer of protection.

“Maritime NZ wants to assure people in New Zealand, we have taken this vessel’s issues very seriously.”

A direction from Wellington’s deputy harbourmaster said Shiling will have a tug escort when she sails and some vessels are being cleared from Wellington’s main shipping channel to make way for her.

The direction applies from 3.30pm today until the pilot boat has disembarked from Shiling.

Over the past week and a half, Shiling has undergone engine testing alongside the berth at Centreport, harbour trials, and finally an open sea trial south of Wellington with a tug escort.

The trials were overseen by the vessel’s classification society and an overseas technician for the main engine manufacturer.

“These played a key role in checking the vessel for issues, and reassuring us (Maritime NZ) and other parties involved that the vessel has satisfied the conditions previously imposed, and can undertake the journey to Singapore,” Despard said.

Maritime NZ will continue to monitor Shiling’s movements out of New Zealand waters.

The failure is the fourth in less than a year for the Singapore-registered vessel, and came hot on the heels of an earlier breakdown the month prior which caused the ship to be detained in Wellington for several weeks.

Maritime New Zealand, the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) and Singaporean authorities have all launched investigations into the ship’s loss of power.

TAIC had already launched an investigation after Shiling last broke down while leaving Wellington harbour in April. A TAIC spokesman said subsequent events may be taken into account as part of that investigation.

Maritime New Zealand duty controller Kenny Crawford has previously confirmed the regulator was also undertaking an investigation and Singaporean authorities had sent an investigator to Wellington too.

Shiling’s mayday call came just a few months after Interislander’s Kaitaki ferry issued a mayday call in Cook Strait with 864 people on board after it too lost power.

The Government has expedited urgent advice on New Zealand’s ability to respond to a maritime disaster following the incidents.

There is no emergency towing vessel on standby in New Zealand to help large ships in strife.

Georgina Campbell is a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in local government, transport, and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.