MO-2007-206

On Saturday 14 April 2007 at about 0300, the tug Nautilus III was towing the barge Kimihia, which was loaded with a cargo of rock, through the Wellington Harbour entrance channel when the barge unexpectedly capsized and deposited its cargo onto the seabed of the main entrance channel to the port. The master and crew of the tug, after advising Wellington Harbour Radio of the accident, towed the barge in its inverted state to Miramar wharf where salvage experts were able to right the barge on the 18 April 2007.
Safety issues identified included:

the assignment of an inappropriate load line to the barge

the need for stability standards for unmanned dumb barges in the Maritime Rules

the poor standard of surveying and the apparent lack of understanding of Maritime Rules by safe ship management providers

the minimal standard of stability knowledge required for the Inshore Launch Master certificate of competency

the incorrect manning of the tug

the difficulty and confusion surrounding the regulatory certificate, survey, load line, design and seagoing limit structure.

Safety recommendations were made to the Director of Maritime New Zealand to address some of these issues.