Oil tanker that hit bottom broke rules

By BRIDGET CARTER

A pilot has broken a new rule for ships entering Whangarei Harbour by letting a supertanker enter when there were swells over 1m.

Eastern Honor scraped the bottom of the harbour entrance at 5am on Sunday while moving at 5.5 knots towards Marsden Pt Oil Refinery.

It happened when there were swells rising between 1.5m and 2m, just three months after another vessel hit the bottom in the same area - and despite a newly introduced ban on supertankers entering the harbour when swells were more than 1m high.

Harbourmaster Ian Niblock said he could not say who decided to let the tanker sail through to port because it would prejudice investigations that were now under way.

But he said the latest case showed how "absolutely critical" it was to assess the swell.

It is believed to be the third time a tanker has struck the bottom of Whangarei Harbour since vessels started bringing oil to the refinery in 1963, and has left people questioning why there have suddenly been two cases in three months.

Mr Niblock said in the latest cases, the vessels were carrying more than 100,000 tonnes of oil.

"We're concerned when any ship touches the bottom, but more so when it's laden with oil. There is the potential for a catastrophic environmental disaster."

Mr Niblock said without taking the swell into account, calculations indicated that the Eastern Honor could safely enter the harbour.

The place where the 248m Korean-flagged vessel hit the seabed was 16.8m deep without swell, leaving the single-hulled tanker carrying 131,292 tonnes of oil 1.6m from the seabed.

Circumstances were similar to the April 16 case when the tanker Capella Voyager struck the seabed in the same place and took on water before safely making it to port.

North Tugz chief executive Will Harvey said the pilot on board the Eastern Honor had years of experience in Whangarei Harbour.

Mr Niblock said another rule was introduced this week. Supertankers must now enter the harbour only in daylight, because it is difficult to judge the swell levels at night.

One possibility that would be investigated was whether the size of swells had increased.


Herald Feature: Conservation and Environment

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Further reading: nzherald.co.nz/marine