Maritime NZ rules out prosecution in barge accident

None of the parties involved in last year's barging tragedy in Picton will be prosecuted, Maritime NZ said today.

Tom William Phillips and Allan Hedley Tempero died when the two concrete trucks they were in slipped off a barge and plunged to the bottom of Picton harbour in August last year.

The accident happened as the fully laden Firth Industries trucks were being loaded onto a McManaway Marine barge.

One truck was already on board and, as the second was being driven on, both fell into the water.

Deputy Harbourmaster Dave Hoskins said one truck started to slip off and somehow got tangled up in the other one and took it with it.

The trucks were to have been barged from the commercial dock in Picton Harbour to a building site at Dryden Bay in the Marlborough Sounds.

Maritime NZ said although the investigation into the accident was not complete, enough was known about the circumstances of the accident to rule out prosecution.

"While it is a complex investigation that still has some way to go, it is clear that a number of significant safety actions will be introduced for both barge operators and the trucking industry as a result," Maritime NZ said in a statement.

"Maritime NZ is continuing to investigate the accident to determine what actions need to be taken to prevent a similar accident happening again in the future."

Maritime NZ issued a clear safety guidelines for barge operators earlier on in the investigation.

- NZPA