Executive summary
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.
Related Recommendations
Carry out a full engine trial on the Milford Mariner, and any other of the company’s vessels for which full engine trial data is not available or where the engine and propeller configuration has changed, to determine the optimal configuration of the engines and propellers.
Carry out a risk assessment of the Master’s workload on each of the company’s vessels with a view to reviewing the minimum crewing documents to ensure that adequate support is provided for the Master.
Formulate checklists for important procedures such as, but not limited to, starting the engine, changing the steering and engines between consoles, and operating on one engine. Include as part of the crew training sessions, exercises that practise the use of these checklists.
In conjunction with the engine control manufacturer, ensure that each of the company’s vessels is configured for optimum operation by checking their engine control systems.
After the engine controls, and the engines and propellers are set for optimum performance, should the engines on any of the company’s vessels continue to be susceptible to stalling, determine the course of action that might best prevent further incidences of stalling.
Establish a policy that all staff undergoing training are properly supervised.
Establish quality assurance procedures within Real Journeys to ensure safety critical operational defects are properly addressed.
Review Maritime New Zealand’s internal practices and procedures for assessing and approving applications for the issuance or renewal of Minimum Crewing Documents for restricted limit passenger ships to ensure that appropriate, consistent and realistic levels of properly qualified personnel are assigned to a vessel to fulfil all the provisions of Maritime Rule Parts 31B.7 and 31B.8. Particular consideration should be given, but not limited, to the following: - the size and complexity of the vessel - the environment in which the vessel operates