Westport barge stranding under TAIC investigation

Monday, 2 September 2024

The owners of a barge that ran aground on the West Coast have engaged an independent expert to conduct a thorough investigation into what went wrong.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has also opened an inquiry into the grounding of the barge Manahau on Carters Beach near Westport.

Mineral mining and port logistics company WMS Group said it hired the expert to help it understand how the near 100m long Manahau hit sandy ground during strong winds just before midnight on Saturday.

A WMS Group spokesperson said the 11 crew members were still safely on board and there were no environmental concerns from the incident.

A specialist recovery team engaged by the company arrived in Westport on Sunday night to assist with the recovery.

Additional food supplies had been delivered to the crew and the company was working with local councils and Maritime New Zealand about beach access.

On Sunday work was carried out to stabilise it, with diggers creating anchor points to prevent it from drifting towards rocks at high tide.

TAIC acting chief investigator of Accidents Louise Cook said the Niue flagged self-propelled barge with 11 crew on board, had been anchored outside Westport Harbour.

In poor weather, the vessel’s anchors dragged and it grounded on Carters Beach at about 11.45pm.

She said a team of investigators had been appointed.

“Getting the facts straight is vital, so our investigators will be inspecting the vessel, seeking and recovering electronic and other records and interviewing vessel crew, Westport authorities and any other witnesses,” she said.

“We’re gathering all the usual evidence for the start of this sort of investigation – including voice and voyage data recordings and video footage.”

TAIC had issued a protection order to preserve and protect evidence relating to all electronic data from the vessel such as voyage and voice data, engine room logs, CCTV and logbooks. It was also protecting onboard equipment including propulsion, power supply and anchor systems.

“The protection order prohibits any person from accessing the items listed unless permitted by the Commission. It doesn’t prevent the master and others from attending to the safety of the vessel, environment or people on board,” she said.

The initial focus of the investigation was on gathering evidence that could disappear or change – including memories while they’re fresh in people’s minds, she said.

TAIC was also interested in the vessel itself, its individual history, performance, maintenance, equipment and design.

She said the investigation was aimed at improving transport safety by avoiding repeat accidents, rather than by ascribing blame,

Maritime NZ warned people need to stay away from the vessel as it was an operational area, and was highly dangerous.

A spokesperson said Maritime NZ staff were at the scene to support the effort, with an incident response team operating from Wellington. An investigation into the grounding is under way.

“The crew remain on the vessel and are safe. The barge is intact, no items have been lost, and there are no leaks. There was no cargo on board at the time,” the organisation said on Sunday evening.

There was no cargo on board at the time of the stranding and WMS Group was planning on bringing a specialist tugboat from Taranaki to re-float it.

The Manahau arrived in New Zealand waters on July 22 from Indonesia and was inspected and certified in Nelson before heading to Westport in August.

The company said it had barged one load of mineral sand to Nelson for export and was due to begin loading sand onto ships offshore from Westport this month.

Carl Findlay, national secretary of the Maritime Union of New Zealand, said the union had raised concerns about the crew, understood to be mainly from Indonesia, not having the knowledge to navigate the tricky West Coast waters.

“Vessels such as the Manahau operating in New Zealand’s unique and challenging maritime environment should be crewed by experienced New Zealand seafarers,” he said.

Findlay told The Press the union is seeking information from immigration authorities and the operators.

“The Nelson branch [of the union] plans to make a strong effort to board the vessel during its next visit to ensure the crew’s well-being and to gather more information about their status in New Zealand.”

Sources have also confirmed that Nelson port authorities had concerns the vessel was not up to handling West Coast conditions, including that it could not be adequately propelled when not fully loaded.

WMS Group has not responded to questions about those concerns.