Tanker grounded after crew underestimated swell conditions

3.00pm

A tanker ship that grounded in Whangarei Harbour last year did so after its stern dipped behind a series of larger than expected swells, a Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) report says.

The Eastern Honor grounded in the entrance channel to the harbour on July 27 last year. The ship's hull was damaged but it was able to berth and discharge its cargo without any oil spilling into the environment.

It was the second grounding in the harbour last year. In April the Capella Voyager, loaded with 107,800 tonnes of light crude oil, struck the harbour bottom twice, ripping a hole in its hull, when entering the harbour.

The TAIC report into the Eastern Honor grounding, issued today, found the pilot of the ship had made a blanket allowance for swell conditions, but encountered heavier than expected swells while entering the harbour.

The report said the safety measures put in place by Northland Regional Council in conjunction with the Maritime Safety Authority and local tug companies were not sufficient to prevent the Eastern Honor's grounding.

"The safety actions instigated after the Capella Voyager occurrence were not robust enough to ensure that a similar occurrence would not happen again as they relied on the pilot to estimate the swell height by observation in what could be less than optimum conditions," the report said.

However it said the three groups had since introduced additional measures, which meant no further safety recommendation was needed.

Those measures included new minimum keel clearance rules and several other provisions designed to ensure ship pilots had accurate and up to date weather and swell information.

The report said the damage to the ship's hull involved paint being scraped off the hull and rudder and minor indentations on some parts.

When the 13-year-old Capella Voyager grounded it April last year it took on thousands of tonnes of water, but the split did not breach the ship's cargo area.

Tug company North Tugz was criticised by the TAIC over that grounding.

- NZPA

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