Executive summary
On Monday 2 May 2005 shortly after 1911, the ferry "Santa Regina" outbound from Picton collided with the inbound private launch "Timeless" in the vicinity of Picton Point, Queen Charlotte Sound. The ship had a Master, 31 crew and 71 passengers on board and the Timeless had 2 persons on board.
The bow of the ship struck the starboard side of the launch abaft mid-length, cutting the smaller boat in two. One person on the launch managed to escape from the cabin and climb onto a piece of wreckage to await rescue. The body of the other person on the launch was found about 30 minutes later.
Safety issues identified during the investigation included:
• adherence to the collision regulations
• adherence to the local bylaws
• bridge resource management and the ergonomics of the bridge of the Santa Regina.
Safety recommendations were made to the Director of Maritime New Zealand and the Managing Director of Strait Shipping Limited to address these issues.
Related Recommendations
Put in place procedures to reinforce the need for effective bridge resources management on board the company's ships. This should include the requirement that the full bridge team are on the bridge before departure, and that administrative work is separated from the navigation function of the ship's officers.
Promote through boating education and safety bulletins and boat notices, the fitment of passive radar reflectors to small vessels, particularly those constructed of poor radar reflective materials.
Present this report to the National Pleasure Boat Safety Forum with a view that the Forum determine the feasibility of private boats being registered, marked accordingly and required to meet minimum standards of seaworthiness.