Restricted limit passenger vessel "Milford Mariner," engines’ stall resulting in grounding, Harrison Cove, Milford Sound, 18 September 2005
Status
Closed
Occurrence Date
Report Publication Date
Jurisdiction
NZ
Legacy Inquiry Number
05-210
On Sunday 18 September 2005, the "Milford Mariner" was on a cruise of Milford Sound with the Master, 9 crew and 56 passengers on board. At about 1438, both of the ship’s main propulsion engines stalled and just as they were restarted the ship ran aground.
The ship grounded on the rocky shore on the eastern side of Harrison Cove. The Master was able to restart the engines and regain control. After confirmation that the hull was intact, the Master manoeuvred the ship clear of the shore and returned it to the wharf at Milford Sound without assistance. There were no injuries to the passengers or crew. A dive inspection found that the hull plating was dented but not punctured.
Safety issued identified included:
- a latent stalling problem that had not been fully addressed by the operator
- difficulty in restarting the ship’s engines in an emergency situation
- an inexperienced helmsman being supervised by a person who was unfamiliar with the bridge operation.
Safety recommendations were made to the Director of Maritime New Zealand and the Chief Executive Officer of Real Journeys to address these issues.
The ship grounded on the rocky shore on the eastern side of Harrison Cove. The Master was able to restart the engines and regain control. After confirmation that the hull was intact, the Master manoeuvred the ship clear of the shore and returned it to the wharf at Milford Sound without assistance. There were no injuries to the passengers or crew. A dive inspection found that the hull plating was dented but not punctured.
Safety issued identified included:
- a latent stalling problem that had not been fully addressed by the operator
- difficulty in restarting the ship’s engines in an emergency situation
- an inexperienced helmsman being supervised by a person who was unfamiliar with the bridge operation.
Safety recommendations were made to the Director of Maritime New Zealand and the Chief Executive Officer of Real Journeys to address these issues.
Location
Milford Sound (-44.636170,167.915211) [may be approximate]