94022 Grounding NZ Ferry/Training

 Ferry aground
- New Zealand.
- Report No. 94022.

An investigation into a recent grounding of a Cook Strait ferry found a disturbing series of failings at different levels of responsibility. The shipping line, the master, the helmsman, the Maritime Safety Authority and the Seafarers Union all came in for some form of criticism. Apparently, the crew were all integrated ratings and trained to do a variety of tasks on board. The rotating nature of the system meant that ratings did a minimum of one week in each position during a 20 week cycle. This meant that the rating on the helm at the time of grounding had not been rostered for that job for about 5 months. Misgivings regarding the performance of the rating had been raised during the days prior to the incident and the master had already spoken to him on the previous voyage about the way he should steer.

Just before the incident, the master had given the orders "starboard 10", "ease to 5", and then, "steer 345 degrees". The master then noticed that the ship had turned more to starboard and ordered "port 20". He went to the starboard wing and noted that the ship was still turning to starboard and ordered "hard-a-port" and put both engines astern, at the same time the second officer lunged to take the wheel from the helmsman, who by this stage had realised his error and begun to turn to port. Putting the engines astern saved the ferry from more serious damage but did not stop her going aground. Fortunately, no-one was injured in the incident.

The masters on the ferries had raised the issue of appointing a permanent helmsman with the management the previous year. An agreement was made that this would be done but it was not implemented. It would appear that the Seafarers Union had some influence on this decision as, according to reports, the crew had been advised not to apply for the job of permanent helmsman, this was denied by the Union.

Since the incident, the shipping line have instituted a roster to ensure that only the most experienced staff were acting as helmsman, and they were also actively investigating the possibility of installing automated steering systems. The Maritime Safety Authority has stated that helmsmen on the inter-island ferries should have additional qualifications apart from the minimum required "integrated rating certificate", particularly as the vessels operate in partially enclosed waters and, because they carry a lot of passengers, they should take extra care.

In addition to the recommendations that properly qualified helmsmen should be employed, the Maritime Safety Authority would also be looking into proposals by the company to reduce the number of crew by half and to operate the service 24 hours a day.