Tag Archives: Transport Accident Investigation Commission
Grounded Austro Carina trawler at Banks Peninsula starting to break up, salvage could take months
The fishing boat that ran aground at Banks Peninsula carrying thousands of litres of diesel is breaking up, Canterbury Regional Council says. Heavy swells continue to make it difficult for crews to get to the Austro Carina, which ran aground near a marine reserve at Shell Bay’s Red Bluff on 24 September. The boat was carrying about 10,000 litres of diesel and 400 litres of hydraulic oil. The council warned it could take months to salvage the wreck, with the necessary equipment unavailable in New Zealand. Wild weather that battered Banks Peninsula earlier this week ripped a hole in the boat. >>click to read<< 09:50
Shell Bay, Banks Peninsula oil spill: Plan to remove boat in the works
The 25m Austro Carina, owned and operated by Lyttelton-based Pegasus Fishing Ltd, ran aground near picturesque Shell Bay on the southeastern side of the Banks Peninsula on Sunday, September 24. The 140-150 tonne boat is currently still stuck with the gaping hole at the bottom of a 100-metre, potentially unstable cliff. The unfortunate position of the boat means it cannot be reached, according to the regional council, Environment Canterbury (ECan). “Access to the vessel by water has been heavily restricted by heavy seas, the rugged shoreline, and poor weather over the last week,” Emma Parr, Regional On-Scene Commander for the Harbourmaster’s Office, said. Photos, >>click to read<< 09:43
Owner of grounded trawler working on salvage plan
The owner of a fuel-laden fishing trawler that is grounded off Banks Peninsula is working on a salvage plan for the stricken boat and has promised to help manage the environmental impact of any spills. Four crew members had to be winched to safety by helicopter when the 25m Austro Carina ran aground at Red Bluff near Shell Bay last Sunday night, carrying 10,000L of diesel and 400L of hydraulic oil. The boat’s owner Pegasus Fishing said it was working with authorities on the best approach to salvage the trawler. “We are happy to confirm media reports that all our crew are safe and well, although they are still understandably shaken from the events of Sunday night,” the statement said. >>click to read<< 08:07
Trawler tanker fire; TAIC orders Talley’s to review its maintenance procedures
Languishing in the water off the West Coast, the boat had to be towed back to shore after suffering extensive heat and smoke damage despite a quick response from the crew to bring the blaze under control. Amaltal Enterprises crew were fishing near Hokitika on July 2, last year when the main engine was shut down to fix repairs to a low-pressure fuel pipe. About 50 minutes after being restarted, an accumulator installed in the engine unwound and dislodged from its pipe connector, spraying marine diesel “at 8 bar pressure to jet upwards” all over the hot engine exhaust, sparking the fire. >click to read< 08:03
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
FV Jubilee: Disaster averted just days before tragedy that cost three lives
The likely cause of a trawler capsizing and sinking off the Canterbury coast with the loss of all three fishermen aboard had happened on a previous fishing trip just days earlier, it’s been revealed. The 90-tonne, 16m Jubilee sank 22km off the Rakaia River mouth after sending a distress signal early 
on October 18, 2015. All three experienced fishermen on board – Jared Reese Husband, 47, of Timaru, skipper Paul Russell Bennett, 35, of Motueka, and 55-year-old Terry Donald Booth also from the Nelson region – died. A Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) probe concluded the sinking was likely caused by a hose left running,,, >click to read< 15:54
New Zealand: Safety training needed after man killed on trawler
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission has recommended fishing company Sanford Limited introduce more safety training and has warned against the use of performance-impairing substances after an investigation into the death of a trawler freezerman. Steffan Antony Stewart, 26, of New Plymouth, who died after becoming trapped in a piece of machinery aboard the New Zealand-registered deep-sea factory trawler San Granit, had a level of methamphetamine in his system which meant it was likely consumed at sea, the review found. “Due to the varying effects this substance has on an individual, it was not possible to determine whether it contributed to the accident,” it says. >click to read< 14:15
New Zealand: Man dies on fishing vessel near Banks Peninsula
A man in his 20s is dead after being injured on the factory deck of a Sanford fishing vessel near Banks Peninsula in Canterbury. The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has opened an inquiry into the fatal accident on board the New Zealand-registered factory fishing vessel San Granit. The accident happened about 88 kilometres east of Banks Peninsula about 4am on Wednesday. >click to read< 14:04
‘High-level alarm’ could have alerted three fishermen on board ill-fated FV Jubilee
The deaths of three men on board fishing trawler FV Jubilee could have been prevented if not for “missing checks in the system”, a report has found. Terry Donald Booth, 55, of the Nelson area, Paul Russell Bennett, 35, of Motueka, and Jared Reese Husband, 47, of Timaru, died on the Ocean Fisheries trawler when it sank off the Canterbury coast on October 18, 2015. The fishermen issued a mayday at 4.20am, when they were about 22 kilometres from the Rakaia River mouth. They never made it to their liferaft. A Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) report, published on Thursday, found it was likely that flooding of the fish hold was the main factor contributing to the vessel’s sinking. It was possible the cause of the flooding was water from a deck wash hose that had been left running through an open hatch. click here to read the story 21:46
Four-year investigation fails to find cause of ship fire off Canterbury coast
A four year inquiry into a fire that ripped through a ship off the Canterbury coast, forcing dozens of crew members into lifeboats, has failed to establish “with any certainty” how it started. On Thursday, the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) released a report into the blaze, which turned the fishing factory freezer trawler Amaltal Columbia into “a fireball from the bow to the stern” in 2012. The 41 crew on board were ordered to abandon ship, 85 kilometres northeast of the Lyttelton heads, after exhausting their air tanks battling the inferno. The fire broke out about 5am on September 12, 2012, in the fishmeal bagging room on the fish processing deck. continue reading the story here 11:25
