Inquiries & Recommendations

Ngā ketuketutanga me ngā tūtohunga

On Wednesday 16 April 2003, at about 1820, the motor tanker "Capella Voyager" grounded while entering Whangarei Harbour to berth at Marsden Point Oil terminal. The hull in the area of the forepeak tank was set up, creased and ruptured, water flooded into the forepeak tank. The "Capella Voyager" subsequently berthed safely at the oil terminal where the cargo was discharged. Temporary repairs were effected and the forepeak pumped out at Marsden Point before the ship sailed for Singapore to complete permanent repairs. There was no discharge of oil into the environment.

[A preliminary investigation showed that the circumstances were not likely to have significant implications for transport safety. Consistent with section 13 of the TAIC Act the Commission discontinued the investigation and no report was published.]

On Friday 18 0ctober 2002, at about 0515, 2 wagons on the rear of southbound express freight Train 215 derailed while negotiating a turnout as the train departed from the Hamilton container transfer depot. The derailed wagons were detached and the train continued its journey south, but at about 0750, as it entered Te Kuiti, 3 further wagons derailed as they crossed the north-end turnout. On Tuesday 25 March 2003, at about 0145, 12 wagons on northbound express freight Train 934 derailed while crossing the south-end turnout at Sawyers Bay.

On Tuesday 18 March 2003 at about 1455, during a scenic tour of the Bay of Islands, the restricted limit passenger vessel, "Tiger III", encountered a steep wave with an unexpectedly deep trough behind it. The bow of the vessel rode up on this wave before dropping violently into the trough. Four passengers standing on the foredeck received serious injuries. There was no damage to the vessel. Safety issues identified were: · passenger access to the foredeck of the vessel during an open water passage · the unpredictability of sea conditions

On Wednesday 12 March 2003, at 1547, flight SQ286, a Boeing 747-412 registered 9V-SMT, started its take off at Auckland International Airport for a direct 9 hour flight to Singapore. On board were 369 passengers, 17 cabin crew and 3 pilots.

On Saturday 22 February 2003 at about 1130, the commercial jet boat "Wilderness Jet 3" was travelling downstream on the Dart River, with a driver and 4 passengers on board, when it collided with Private Jet Boat proceeding upstream with a driver and one passenger on board. The boats came to rest on a shingle bank with the commercial boat on top of the private boat. The Private Jet Boat was extensively damaged. Both drivers and 4 of the passengers sustained minor injuries. Safety issues identified included: · the concentration of traffic on the Dart River

On Tuesday 18 February 2003, at about 1530, as the spectator fleet proceeded back towards Auckland Harbour after race 3 of the America’s Cup regatta, the pleasure launch "Barossa" and the passenger trimaran "Triptych" collided in the vicinity of the entrance to the Rangitoto Channel. There were 10 people on board the Barossa, and 7 crew and 64 passengers on board the "Triptych". During the collision 3 of those on the launch fell or jumped into the sea but they were rescued by other craft.

On Sunday 16 February 2003, at about 1823, seven wagons at the rear of northbound express freight Train 380 derailed while negotiating a right-hand curve between Taumarunui and Okahukura on the North Island Main Trunk. The curve was covered by a temporary heat restriction of 40 km/h and the train was travelling at about 85 km/h when the derailment occurred. A track buckle was triggered by the passage of the train travelling much faster than the authorised speed. The safety issues identified included: · the excessive speed of the train

On Monday 10 February 2003, at about 1600, hi-rail vehicle 67425 derailed near Fordell during a special hot weather track inspection on the Marton-New Plymouth Line. The vehicle rolled and came to rest on its side, clear of the track. The driver sustained serious injuries and the vehicle was extensively damaged. As a result, about 90 minutes passed before the driver was able to use his cellphone to alert the Police, and subsequently train control, to his situation.

On Monday 10 February 2003, at about 1305, train control authorised northbound express freight Train 142 to depart Te Kauwhata and enter a single line section of track, into which an opposing hi-rail vehicle movement had been authorised about 30 minutes earlier, thereby creating the potential for a head-on collision. The safety issues identified included: · the training and certification of new entrant train controllers on additional train control desks soon after their initial certification

On Sunday 2 February 2003 at 1656, ZK-EJG, a Cessna U206G, took off from runway 21 at Ardmore Aerodrome bound for Waiheke Island. On board were the pilot and 2 passengers. After entering a left turn at about 600 feet, there was a sudden and total loss of engine power and the engine stopped. The pilot was able to continue the turn to position and land safely on the reciprocal runway. There were no injuries or further damage to the aircraft. The engine stopped because 2 connecting rods broke, punctured the engine casing and seized the engine.

On Thursday 16 January 2003, at about 1743, the passenger ferry "Harbour Cat" was proceeding from Birkenhead to Auckland with 3 crew and 2 passengers on board when a fire was discovered in the starboard engine space. The crew extinguished the fire and the ferry continued to the Auckland ferry terminal on its port engine alone. One of the crew suffered from slight smoke inhalation. Safety issues identified included: * access to engine rooms on passenger ferries * adequacy of procedure and training of ships’ crew in tackling engine space fires.