Crew of grounded ship to be interviewed later

By ANGELA GREGORY

The Maritime Safety Authority has deferred interviewing Tai Ping crew members about how the ship struck rocks and grounded at Bluff Harbour because they are too exhausted and traumatised.

The Hong Kong-registered bulk carrier, carrying nearly 10,000 tonnes of fertiliser, ran aground in thick fog early on Tuesday.

MSA director Russell Kilvington said yesterday that his investigator had taken one look at the crew and decided to back off.

"They were clearly fatigued and traumatised."

Mr Kilvington said the Indian master, Bangladeshi chief officer and remaining 21 Chinese crew were preoccupied with safely getting the 16,000-tonne ship off the rocks.

He was impressed with their diligence and care in discharging the cargo.

"They are an excellent crew ... It is being done very professionally."

The MSA was also satisfied that the expert maritime salvors brought in from overseas were making good progress on plans to refloat Tai Ping.

They were working together to devise the safest way of extricating the ship from the harbour.

The ballast tanks had ruptured in the accident and Mr Kilvington was amazed none of the fuel tanks had been holed.

He did not want the ship moved until the salvors were sure they would not risk further damage.

Mr Kilvington said he was shocked by the attitude of an Australian representative of Fenwick Shipping Services, which manages the Tai Ping, who suggested the ship could have been moved off sooner.

"He expected it to be off the next day ... and criticised the MSA for not allowing the cargo to be dumped into the harbour."

Mr Kilvington said urea in that quantity would have been lethal to the marine environment.

The port at Bluff reopened on Wednesday, with warnings for shipping traffic to take care.

Divers were inspecting the rocky seabed to assess the preferred route out.

Hundreds of tonnes of urea have been removed by barge and transferred ashore.

Mr Kilvington said the salvage plan would detail how the vessel would be refloated with precautions to prevent any oil pollution.

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