Executive summary
At about 1710 on Saturday, 5 September 1998, the passenger sailing vessel "Phantom of the Straits" was engaged on a short sailing trip on Wellington Harbour when fire broke out near the engine enclosure. The fire was eventually extinguished, but not before the vessel had suffered extensive fire and smoke damage below decks. The skipper suffered from minor smoke inhalation; otherwise none of the four passengers or deck-hand were injured in the fire.
Factors contributing to the fire included substandard features in the electrical and machinery installations on board the yacht.
Other safety issues identified included:
• the non-transference of information between survey and safe ship management companies, and the adverse effect it could have on the New Zealand safe ship management system, and
• the incomplete safety briefing given by the skipper to the passengers before departing on the trip.
Safety recommendations were made to the Director of Maritime Safety, the Managing Director of Survey Nelson Limited, and the owner of the "Phantom of the Straits" to address the safety issues.
Related Recommendations
Ensures that the re-installation of the electrical and machinery installations on Phantom of the Straits fully meets the requirements of the relevant rules and regulations.
Withdraw MSA Circular Letter number 76 and replace it with a notice to surveyors and safe ship management companies, specifying which standards for extra-low-voltage electrical equipment installations are accepted by MSA, and stipulating that surveyors should apply a single such standard in its entirety to each vessel, rather than mixing standards.