Auckland ferry incident 'could have been much worse', emails show

Thursday, 22 April 2021

Ferry services from Te Onewa Northcote Point Wharf relaunched in February 2021, two and a half years after the wharf was closed for health and safety reasons.

A ferry incident that left a crew member injured “could have been much worse”, documents have revealed.

The worker was injured in an on-board incident at Te Onewa Northcote Point Wharf in Auckland in February.

An incident report obtained by Stuff showed the ferry was arriving at the wharf from Bayswater when its lines became intertwined, resulting in one falling into the water and getting “sucked” into the vessel’s propeller.

As the line tightened, the crew member’s arm was pulled down, injuring him.

Ferry services at Te Onewa Northcote Point Wharf resumed in February following a two-and-a-half year upgrade.

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Ferry services at Northcote Point are sometimes cancelled due to the wharf’s exposed location.

The crew member was taken to hospital via an Uber, where it was determined he had suffered minor ligament damage to his shoulder. He was off work for a week.

Divers were required to free the ferry’s propeller of the lines.

The Fullers 360 crew member received a minor shoulder ligament injury after the rope they were holding was dropped into the ferry’s propeller. (File photo)

Subsequent emails between Auckland Transport officials showed the incident could have easily gone another way.

“If the crew member had become caught in the line, there would likely have been a very different outcome to being stood down for a week,” ferry services manager Gareth Willis said.

That sentiment was echoed by a Fullers360 marine manager who told Auckland Transport the incident “could have been much worse”.

“We need to get this right,” they said.

The 60-year-old wharf has long been problematic due to its exposed location, with ferry services often cancelled because of bad weather and sea conditions.

It was temporarily closed for health and safety reasons in June 2018 after routine maintenance revealed wooden structural pieces of the wharf had deteriorated.

It was due to reopen following an upgrade on January 25 – a year later than originally planned – but its reopening ceremony was postponed in light of a community case of Covid-19 in Northland.

The crew member was injured just two days after the successful opening of the wharf on February 4, and ferry sailings were suspended.

Fullers 360 chief operating officer Paul Trotman confirmed the injured crew member had made a full recovery and since returned to work.

He was compensated for his injury via “the usual ACC compensation process”.

Specific training materials for berthing Te Onewa Northcote Point Wharf have since been created.

“The safety of passengers and crew is our top priority,” Trotman said.

Auckland Transport spokesman Mark Hannan said

following trials at Te Onewa Northcote Point Wharf, additional bollards were installed so Fullers 360 staff could use more ropes when berthing.

Improvements to the wharf’s fender piles, which protect the wharf from the impact of boats, are also in the works to improve operations during bad weather conditions.

Following the suspension of services, more trials were completed to the satisfaction of Fullers 360, which then resumed ferry services again.

Maritime NZ spokesman Vince Cholewa said neither Fullers 360 or Auckland Transport were charged over the incident.

It worked with the companies to develop a safer method for ferries to pull up alongside the wharf and gather ropes.

“This was a satisfactory outcome and the matter has been resolved.”

Ropes could be hazardous on any vessel, commercial or recreational, Cholewa said.