Mineral sand barge repair plan awaiting sign off
Wednesday, 6 November 2024
A repair plan for a barge that got stranded and damaged on a West Coast beach is still awaiting sign off.
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) is investigating the grounding of the Manahau on Carters Beach near Westport.
The 100m-long barge, owned by mineral mining and port logistics company Westland Mineral Sands (WMS) Group, was towed to Nelson after it hit sandy ground during strong winds just before midnight on August 31.
A spokesperson said the barge was still safely in dock at Port Nelson.
“Damage inspections on the Manahau have been completed. The vessel is stable, the hull is intact and there are no leaks,” she said.
The repair plan had been completed and was awaiting sign off from the Royal Institution of Naval Architects.
Meanwhile, two companies in the WMS Group are being wound down.
Shareholders have applied to the Companies Office to remove WMSC (2021) Ltd and WCBL (2021) Ltd from the New Zealand Companies Register.
WCBL (2021) signed a 30-year contract to lease part of Westport Port from the Buller District Council in August 2020.
The applications, unopposed by Inland Revenue, says the companies had ceased to carry on business, discharged their liabilities in full to all known creditors, and distributed surplus assets.
The spokesperson said the WMS Group was formed in 2022 alongside West Coast Bulk Logistics Ltd, which handled the group’s bulk logistics activities.
The decision to remove or consolidate previous companies into the group was made when it was set up in 2022, she said.
“WMS strongly believes that the future lies in the restoration of the West Coast ports so that they can operate for both outward and incoming cargo, with a sustainable coast shipping service.”
The Manahau took one load of sand to Nelson before running aground and the company had been trucking sand to Nelson for export since.
“The Manahau was added to the Westland Mineral Sand project in late July 2024 to enable the efficient and sustainable transport of product from river ports on the West Coast to a bulk export ship immediately off the coast and directly to the world and we still believe it has the right capability to do so.”
The company commissioned an independent expert to investigate the grounding. The spokesperson said it did not have the results of that investigation yet.
Buller mayor Jamie Cleine said said he was confident the company would get the Manahau back up and running at Westport Port and the council would receive wharfage fees.
“The intention is not just to export sand but also rock and aggregates and eventually coal,” he said.
The Westport News reported the council expected to receive $25.2 million in port income between 2021 and 2031. But, in February – more than three years into the lease - former chief financial officer Douglas Marshall said the council had not yet received any wharfage income from WMS Group.
The council has refused to say how much rent or wharfage it has received since, citing commercial sensitivity.
A TAIC spokesperson said marine inquiries usually took about 18 months to complete.
“This inquiry is on schedule. TAIC investigators are making good progress gathering and analysing evidence.”
He anticipated a final report would be ready by the end of 2025, if there were no unexpected delays.
The investigation aimed to prevent similar accidents in future and identify any system-level safety issues.