General cargo vessel "T.A. Explorer", grounding, Nelson, 19 January 1998
Status
Closed
Occurrence Date
Report Publication Date
Jurisdiction
NZ
Legacy Inquiry Number
98-201
At about 2145 on Monday, 19 January 1998, the general cargo vessel "T.A. Explorer" was outbound from Nelson under pilotage when the vessel failed to make the turn near the entrance to the harbour and ran aground on Haulashore Island. The vessel was re-floated after about 20 minutes and, as damage was minimal, continued its voyage to Timaru.
The grounding occurred because the speed of the ship was too high for the tugs to assist in the manner intended by the pilot. Safety issues identified included:
• incomplete assessment of new piloting techniques,
• the standard of communication within the pilot and tug services for the port,
• the need for a common minimum standard of on-going training for pilots, and
• the need for some form of quality control among pilots.
Safety recommendations were made to the harbourmaster for Port Nelson to address the safety issues.
The grounding occurred because the speed of the ship was too high for the tugs to assist in the manner intended by the pilot. Safety issues identified included:
• incomplete assessment of new piloting techniques,
• the standard of communication within the pilot and tug services for the port,
• the need for a common minimum standard of on-going training for pilots, and
• the need for some form of quality control among pilots.
Safety recommendations were made to the harbourmaster for Port Nelson to address the safety issues.
Location
Nelson (-41.265066,173.258643) [may be approximate]