Report criticises pilot over Jody grounding

By JO-MARIE BROWN

A report into the grounding of the Jody F Millennium has strongly criticised the pilot whose job it was to guide the ship out of Gisborne's harbour last year.

The Maritime Safety Authority is to severely censure Captain Robert Sands for getting off the Jody too early, leaving the ship's Korean master to negotiate alone the 0.8 nautical mile shipping channel to deep water.

Captain Sands decided the Jody should leave Gisborne's port on Waitangi Day last year because an extreme swell and near gale-force winds meant she could no longer be safely restrained beside the wharf.

But having disembarked before he was legally supposed to, Captain Sands watched as enormous waves pounded the 159m log carrier, driving it aground off Waikanae Beach.

The Jody remained stranded for 18 days and leaked 25 tonnes of heavy fuel oil into Poverty Bay, sparking the biggest oil-spill response operation seen in New Zealand.

In a report released yesterday, authority investigators found the weather was the direct cause of the ship running aground but they cited "serious deficiencies" in the way Captain Sands, the ship's master and Port Gisborne operated.

The ship's owners are suing Port Gisborne and the Gisborne District Council for $23 million arising from salvage, towing, repair and oil-spill clean-up bills.

Director of Maritime Safety Russell Kilvington said yesterday he was surprised and disappointed at the extent of systemic failings the investigators identified at the port.

"There's a huge number of learning opportunities here and we'll certainly be monitoring the situation to ensure that they're not lost," he said.

Gisborne's port was last month sold to the Eastland Energy Community Trust and the authority expects the new owners to implement the report's recommendations to improve safety.

Recommendations include undertaking regular hydrographic surveys and dredging the channel into the port so the pilot and ships' masters know exactly what depth it is, as well as installing new weather equipment to monitor swell and surge conditions.

The report also said operational and contingency plans should be developed on how to deal with ships in port during severe storms.

Mr Kilvington said the authority had decided to censure rather than prosecute those involved because no individual was to blame.

"Although the pilot made one very bad error right at the end, I have never prosecuted anybody for a mistake made in extreme adversity," Mr Kilvington said.

It was not Captain Sands' responsibility to decide whether the Jody should be put to sea but he took control of the situation in the absence of a harbourmaster or marine manager, the report said.

Captain Sands - who refused to comment yesterday - told investigators he was worried the ship would hit the bottom of the channel but he had no other choice because staying in port was too dangerous. The authority criticised Captain Sands because he then got off the Jody before she had cleared the channel.

"The necessity for pilot Sands to remain on board the vessel was obvious," the report said. "The departure was in the hours of darkness, there was an extreme swell running ... the master had not previously visited the port and it was critical that the vessel remain in the channel."

The report also said the Jody's master, Captain Joe Dong Seok, should be censured for failing to adequately discharge his duties of command.

He did not speak with Captain Sands or Port Gisborne that day about how best to keep the Jody secured or about the subsequent decision to sail. He also did not question the pilot's decision to disembark early.

The Gisborne District Council yesterday welcomed the report's recommendations, after it was criticised for employing a harbourmaster on an "as required" basis.

Captain Charles Rycroft was also Napier's full-time harbourmaster and had spent just 15 hours in the previous five months working as Gisborne's harbourmaster.

"That gave him neither effective supervision of navigational safety within the port nor availability in an emergency," said the investigators.

The council said it was working with the port and the harbourmaster to provide appropriate support and improve procedures.

Censured pilot still at work

The man whom the Maritime Safety Authority will severely censure over the grounding of the Jody F Millennium is an experienced ship pilot who knows Gisborne's port well.

Captain Robert Sands had been Gisborne port's pilot for three years before the Jody ran aground on Waitangi Day last year and is still employed there today.

The 57-year-old has spent his entire working life either at sea or piloting other vessels in and out of ports, including a 21-year stint at Napier, where he piloted an estimated 6000 shipping movements.

At Gisborne, Captain Sands piloted about 650 movements before the Jody grounding and was familiar with the port and swell and surge conditions.

However, he was the port's only fulltime pilot, and had 70 days' leave owing at the time of the incident.

The authority has criticised his employer, Adsteam Port Services, for not having done enough to arrange a relief pilot at Gisborne to allow Captain Sands time off.