Executive summary
On Sunday 10 December 2006 at about 1230, the fishing vessel Santa Maria II with a skipper, 4 crew members and a Ministry of Fisheries observer on board was fishing off the Kermadec Islands in Fisheries Management Area 10 when a fire was discovered in the engine room. The skipper issued a distress message while the rest of the crew sealed the engine room and attempted to discharge fire suppressant into the engine room.
As a precautionary measure the crew launched and trailed the liferaft astern of the vessel. Four of the crew boarded the liferaft while the 2 remaining crew monitored the situation from the vessel’s afterdeck. After about an hour they thought the fire was out, so the crew in the liferaft re-boarded the vessel and the skipper donned a self-contained breathing apparatus and inspected the engine room. The fire had been extinguished, so the crew started to ventilate the space and restore electrical power.
Maritime Radio acknowledged then relayed the distress message and several vessels responded to the relayed message. The Santa Maria II, via the owner, contacted 2 other company vessels in the vicinity which responded allowing the other vessels to be stood down. The Seawin Emerald brought the Santa Maria II to Tauranga under tow.
Safety issues identified included:
• the standard of safety housekeeping on board the vessel
• the non-standard fitment of fixed fire-fighting equipment
• the standard of surveying provided by safe ship management companies
• the difficulty and confusion surrounding the regulatory certificate and seagoing limit structure
Safety recommendations were made to the Director of Maritime New Zealand to address these issues.
Related Recommendations
When undertaking recommendation 037/07, incorporating the details of the maritime limits boundaries for both vessels and competence certificates into the Ministry of Fisheries (Mfish) geospatial data management (GIS) tool "National Aquatic Biodiversity Information System" (NABIS) so as to provide an accurate illustration of the relationship between the Mfish and Maritime NZ regulations.
Review the qualifications structure and the seagoing limits so as to ensure that the intent of the Commission's recommendation 028/05 is upheld.
Inspect a sample of other vessels under Survey Nelson Limited's safe ship management system to measure what their level of compliance with the Maritime Rules is, and take whatever measures are deemed appropriate.
By the most appropriate means ensure that all marine surveyors employed by safe ship management companies are fully aware of their obligations under Maritime Rules Part 21 Safe Ship Management Systems to carry out work with due care and diligence in accordance with the requirements of the Martime Rules.
By the most appropriate means ensures that all skippers and crew members within the safe ship management system are advised and instructed on the importance to safety of good "housekeeping" within the engine room spaces and that all repairs and modifications should be carried out using appropriate materials to the satisfaction of a safe ship management surveyor.
Conduct a special inspection of Santa Maria II and other vessels owned or operated by the owner to ensure that they fully comply with all relevant Maritime Rules with particular attention to ensure that all fire fighting equipment on board, especially fixed fire suppressant systems, comply with New Zealand regulations.