Executive summary
On Sunday 15 April 2001, at about 2327, the liquefied petroleum gas carrier "Boral Gas" was outbound from the terminal in Papakura Channel in Manukau Harbour with 14 crew and a licensed harbour pilot on board when it grounded in soft mud on the north side of the channel. After nearly 2 hours the ship was refloated and continued its passage. There were no injuries and the ship suffered no structural damage.
The grounding resulted from the pilot losing situational awareness primarily due to 4 consecutive light beacons marking the channel being extinguished.
Safety issues identified included:
• the maintenance and monitoring regime for navigation aids in Manukau Harbour
• the configuration of the navigation aids in Manukau Harbour
• the traffic management system for Manukau Harbour
• the pilotage system for Manukau Harbour
• the adequacy of procedures for controlling liquefied petroleum gas carriers manoeuvring in Manukau Harbour
• the adequacy of current legislation for licensing and monitoring maritime pilots in New Zealand
• the breakdown of effective bridge resource management on the bridge of the Boral Gas.
Related Recommendations
include the appropriate Regional Council Harbourmaster in the consultation and approval process when navigational marks are installed, altered or removed in harbours under their jurisdiction.
improve the maintenance and repair regime for navigation marks within Manukau Harbour to ensure a high reliability factor is achieved that is consistent with the number and configuration of light beacons. This system should at least result in any ship transiting the harbour knowing what navigation marks are serviceable.
liaise with the Auckland Regional Council and Maritime Safety Authority and install appropriate lights on all the unlit beacons in Papakura Channel
critically review the existing communication and traffic management system for Manukau Harbour and upgrade it to ensure harbour users are aware of other traffic movements.
liaise with Auckland International Airport Limited to change the characteristics of the airport light to a special mark under the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities system of buoyage and beaconage.
conduct a risk assessment for LPG carriers transiting Manukau harbour and form a set of rules and guidelines governing their movement within harbour limits.