Tag Archives: Maritime NZ
Search ceased for missing fisherman Jason Hollows in Hawke’s Bay
The search for missing fisherman Jason Hollows has been officially suspended 10 days after he went overboard off the coast of Hawke’s Bay. There has been an extensive search for Hollows, a 54-year-old fisherman from Otago, since he went overboard on Easter Monday (April 1) about 11km off Waimārama. He was reported missing about 8pm that night. He had been onboard a fishing boat the Pacific Challenger. more, >>click to read<< 10:51
Fisherman missing in water off Hawke’s Bay coast, colleagues join search
The colleagues of a fishing vessel crew member missing off the coast of Hawke’s Bay were on the water aiding search efforts more than 17 hours in. The man was reported overboard from a boat around 11km offshore of Waimārama, around 8pm on Easter Monday. Maritime NZ’s Rescue Coordination Centre was running the search, which included rescue helicopter services from Auckland, Gisborne and Hastings, Coastguard Hawke’s Bay and other vessels in the area. Coastguard Hawke’s Bay president Henry van Tuel said the vessel from which the man had gone missing was the Pacific Challenger. more, >>click to read<< 06:48
Drugs on deck: Meth abuse hampers use of fisheries observers
Methamphetamine abuse aboard the commercial fishing fleet is preventing officials from placing observers on high-risk vessels. Reports released reveal hard drug use and the erratic behaviour of crew has led to observers feeling unsafe. And in some cases, the Ministry for Primary Industries have refused to put staff on board. And a survey commissioned by Maritime NZ reveals 30 per cent of fishers knew someone who used drugs while on deck. It follows the death of 26-year-old Steffan Stewart, who died after becoming trapped in a piece of machinery aboard a factory trawler. He was found with methamphetamine in his system likely consumed at sea, a Transport Accident Investigation Commission review found. >click to read< 11:37
Boat removed after running aground on Christchurch beach
A 13-metre long fishing boat that ran aground on a Christchurch beach to protect an “inexperienced crew’s safety” has been removed. Contractors had been working intermittently during low tide since Sunday morning to deconstruct and remove the boat, deemed “unsalvageable” after grinding to a halt on Waimairi Beach. The vessel, Debbie Jane, was on its way from Banks Peninsula to Motueka, near Nelson, when it ran aground well off course on Saturday night. >click to read< 14:05
Skipper who ground boat on Christchurch beach blames ‘shocking’ weather. Work under way to remove,,,
David “Crazy Horse” Atkinson was the taking the 13-metre Debbie Jane from Banks Peninsula to Motueka, near Nelson, when it ground to a halt well off course at Waimairi Beach on Saturday night. The conditions were “shocking”, he said. He and his two crew members were rescued by a swimmer from a helicopter, and taken to Christchurch Hospital where they were treated for hypothermia. >click to read< 11:07
Work under way to remove boat from Christchurch beach – >click to read< 11:13
Asleep at the Wheel: Fatigue Led to Capsize of Fishing Ship and $27,200 Fine
Crew fatigue led to the grounding and loss of commercial fishing vessel Jan and its owner, Wild Fish (NZ) Limited, being fined $27,200 following prosecution by Maritime NZ. Maritime NZ Northern Regional Manager, Neil Rowarth, said the sole helmsman at the time of the grounding, a 17-year-old deckhand, fell asleep soon after going on watch in the early hours of 11 January 2016. The helmsman had worked a full day, slept for between only one hour and three-and-a-quarter hours, and was then woken to take his turn on watch. He had never before been on watch by himself at night. >click to read<19:38
Maritime NZ has a ‘moral obligation’ to act over old boats going to Pacific, industry says
Maritime NZ is failing in its “moral obligation” to ensure old fishing boats leaving our ports are safe, industry groups say. Stuff revealed last week, click here (Where Boats Go To Die) how Tongans have been buying up old fishing trawlers with Government loans, re-flagging them, and sailing them home with no inspections by New Zealand authorities. Some have broken down and one was later abandoned at sea after a dramatic rescue, leaving the uninsured owner with no way of paying back his loan.,, “It’s our reputation that’s on the line…never mind all the other ethical issues that go alongside it. Read the story here 10:23
What went wrong on the Kaipara bar?
On Saturday, Francie captain Bill McNatty took what one local described as a ”coin toss” risk – to cross the Kaipara Harbour bar with 10 passengers on board. The result was deadly. Mr McNatty died along with seven of his passengers as the boat capsized. With a series of investigations under way, more details about the accident are emerging. They raise questions not just about Mr McNatty’s role, but the rules that govern charter fishing boats and lifejacket use. Another Kaipara Harbour boat charter operator, Tony Walles, claimed Mr McNatty was a “cowboy” who took “dangerous” risks. “Bill was a cowboy … bloody crazy,” he said. Read the story here. Then, there is , ‘the Queen of the Kaipara’. Flora Thirkettle has seen a lot of shipwrecks but none like this. The 88-year-old said last Saturday’s capsizing of The Francie charter boat has stunned the community and sounded a warning of just how “roaring” and “wild” the Kaipara seas could be. She has spent her life fishing by the old wrecks of the Kaipara Harbour, near the sandbar area known as the ‘graveyard’. Read the story here 15:54
