MO-2008-204

Distraction by cellphone and excessive speed within a speed restricted area were the major factors contributing to the fatal collision on 20 June 2008 in Waikawa Bay, Queen Charlotte Sound, of the 6 metre aluminium workboat Shikari with the stern of the moored Flightless, a 27 metre private vessel.
The Shikari’s skipper and one passenger died, 3 passengers received serious injuries, and the remaining passenger suffered minor injury. Nobody was aboard the Flightless.
At the time of the accident the Shikari was estimated to be doing 29 knots when, under Marlborough District Council Navigation Safety Bylaws 2002, it should have been doing 5 knots. Seconds before the collision the skipper finished using a cellphone, immediately after which he spotted the Flightless but too late to avoid collision successfully.
The route was a common one for the skipper, and the Flightless had been anchored or moored at the accident site for about 15 months. Mechanical, weather, and visibility factors were all discounted.
The skipper’s employer did not have safety policies relating to cellphone use, which would have provided a further passive defence to the accident, nor did it have a written policy on adherence to speed limits imposed by local harbour bylaws.
The skipper’s local launch operator’s certificate had recently expired and did not name the Shikari, his most regular command. The skipper’s longstanding command of the boat was outside the employer’s crewing policy. The Shikari’s certification had also recently expired. These safety factors did not contribute to the accident.
(Note: this executive summary condenses content to highlight key points to readers and does so in simpler English and with less technical precision than the remainder of the report to ensure its accessibility to a non-expert reader. Expert readers should refer to and rely on the body of the full report.)