Damaged tanker to leave port

By TONY GEE

An 80,000-tonne supertanker loaded with crude oil which split its hull after grounding in heavy swells when entering Marsden Pt was scheduled to sail from Northland late yesterday.

Temporary repairs made to the Capella Voyager while it was at the oil refinery port have satisfied the Maritime Safety Authority and the vessel was cleared to sail in ballast, authority spokeswoman Helen Mojel said.

The authority had said the tanker would not be allowed to leave the port, near Whangarei, until it was satisfied with temporary repair work needed after the ship took on several thousand tonnes of water when its hull fractured as it entered Marsden Pt on April 16.

The 13-year-old double-hulled tanker, registered in the Bahamas and operated by Chevron Oil, safely discharged its 108,000-tonne cargo of Persian Gulf crude oil at Marsden Pt before work began on its hull.

MSA deputy director of standards and compliance Bruce Maroc said yesterday the temporary repairs let the Capella Voyager sail in ballast to dry dock in either Singapore or Dubai where permanent repairs would be made.

Mr Maroc said the hull was damaged after the vessel grounded on the seabed during heavy swells.

An investigation by the authority is continuing into the incident and will focus on all aspects of bringing the tanker into port during conditions prevailing at the time, he said.

The investigation is likely to take several months.

Further reading: nzherald.co.nz/marine