Charter fishing vessel, i-Catcher, Capsize, Goose Bay, New Zealand, 10 September 2022
Status
Closed
Occurrence Date
Report Publication Date
Jurisdiction
NZ
What happened
The i-Catcher was an 8-metre (m) aluminium pontoon boat operated by Fish Kaikoura 2011 Limited (Fish Kaikoura) out of South Bay in Kaikōura, New Zealand. The vessel was primarily engaged for charter fishing, with occasional sightseeing tours around the coastal waters of Kaikōura.
At approximately 0800 on Saturday 10 September 2022, the i-Catcher departed South Bay, Kaikōura with 11 people onboard, comprising 10 passengers and the skipper.
The passengers were members of the Nature Photography Society of New Zealand and had chartered the vessel for a three-hour passage to photograph pelagic birds.
At approximately 1005, the i-Catcher was off the coast of Goose Bay heading towards Rileys Lookout on its return to South Bay, when the vessel’s occupants felt a sudden impact from underneath the hull and the i-Catcher rapidly capsized to starboard.
Five passengers and the skipper managed to climb on top of the upturned hull, while the other five passengers remained in an air pocket underneath the vessel.
The skipper placed an emergency 111 call using a passenger’s mobile device, alerting New Zealand Police (Police) to the accident, and initiating a search and rescue operation.
Six of the eleven people survived the accident. The survivors were retrieved from on top of the upturned hull by responding vessels. The Police National Dive Squad later recovered the bodies of the remaining five passengers from underneath the upturned hull.
The deceased were found wearing inflated lifejackets within an air pocket that was heavily contaminated with petrol.
Why it happened
It is virtually certain the i-Catcher struck a whale that had surfaced underneath the hull, causing the rapid capsize to starboard.
All five deceased passengers were found within the air pocket under the upturned hull wearing inflated lifejackets, hindering their ability to escape. Four of the lifejackets were manually activated, while one was automatically activated.
It is virtually certain that defects in the vessel’s fuel system allowed fuel to leak into the air pocket of the upturned vessel reducing the survivability of the accident.
What we can learn
Because of the suddenness of the capsize, the vessel occupants were unable to retrieve the Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) to alert authorities to their emergency. The EPIRB remained secured in its bracket underneath the upturned hull. There is a significant safety benefit for vessels equipped with EPIRBs that are manually released and activated to carry a reliable secondary form of communication suitable for the location and conditions such as a Personal Locator Beacon. This practice greatly improves the likelihood of alerting authorities to an emergency should a sudden event occur.
It is important for vessel owners and operators to be familiar with the state of fuel systems onboard their vessels through regular inspections for deficiencies, ensuring the safety of the vessel and its occupants.
Lifejackets are a critical lifesaving appliance. On the day of the accident, the vessel occupants were well equipped, wearing inflatable lifejackets suitable for the vessel’s operation. The circumstances of this accident highlight the importance for people to understand how to safely deflate and remove an inflatable lifejacket while in the water should they need to do so in an emergency.
Pre-departure safety briefings should include doffing procedures as part of lifejacket operational instruction so that vessel occupants are well informed should a sudden emergency occur.
Inflatable lifejackets rely on the successful operation of an inflation mechanism to make them buoyant. It is important that inflatable lifejackets are regularly inspected and maintained to ensure they work as designed when needed.
There were challenges in coordinating the search and rescue operation resulting in delays and elevating risk to those responding. The Commission considers it unlikely that the delays contributed to the overall outcome of this accident, given the toxic environment within the air pocket of the upturned hull. Nevertheless, valuable lessons can be learned from this response to better prepare for a search and rescue response for similar accidents in the future.
Who may benefit
All mariners, maritime regulatory agencies, industry stakeholders, recreational boaters, lifejacket manufacturers and their consumers, and agencies and operators involved in search and rescue operations.
The i-Catcher was an 8-metre (m) aluminium pontoon boat operated by Fish Kaikoura 2011 Limited (Fish Kaikoura) out of South Bay in Kaikōura, New Zealand. The vessel was primarily engaged for charter fishing, with occasional sightseeing tours around the coastal waters of Kaikōura.
At approximately 0800 on Saturday 10 September 2022, the i-Catcher departed South Bay, Kaikōura with 11 people onboard, comprising 10 passengers and the skipper.
The passengers were members of the Nature Photography Society of New Zealand and had chartered the vessel for a three-hour passage to photograph pelagic birds.
At approximately 1005, the i-Catcher was off the coast of Goose Bay heading towards Rileys Lookout on its return to South Bay, when the vessel’s occupants felt a sudden impact from underneath the hull and the i-Catcher rapidly capsized to starboard.
Five passengers and the skipper managed to climb on top of the upturned hull, while the other five passengers remained in an air pocket underneath the vessel.
The skipper placed an emergency 111 call using a passenger’s mobile device, alerting New Zealand Police (Police) to the accident, and initiating a search and rescue operation.
Six of the eleven people survived the accident. The survivors were retrieved from on top of the upturned hull by responding vessels. The Police National Dive Squad later recovered the bodies of the remaining five passengers from underneath the upturned hull.
The deceased were found wearing inflated lifejackets within an air pocket that was heavily contaminated with petrol.
Why it happened
It is virtually certain the i-Catcher struck a whale that had surfaced underneath the hull, causing the rapid capsize to starboard.
All five deceased passengers were found within the air pocket under the upturned hull wearing inflated lifejackets, hindering their ability to escape. Four of the lifejackets were manually activated, while one was automatically activated.
It is virtually certain that defects in the vessel’s fuel system allowed fuel to leak into the air pocket of the upturned vessel reducing the survivability of the accident.
What we can learn
Because of the suddenness of the capsize, the vessel occupants were unable to retrieve the Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) to alert authorities to their emergency. The EPIRB remained secured in its bracket underneath the upturned hull. There is a significant safety benefit for vessels equipped with EPIRBs that are manually released and activated to carry a reliable secondary form of communication suitable for the location and conditions such as a Personal Locator Beacon. This practice greatly improves the likelihood of alerting authorities to an emergency should a sudden event occur.
It is important for vessel owners and operators to be familiar with the state of fuel systems onboard their vessels through regular inspections for deficiencies, ensuring the safety of the vessel and its occupants.
Lifejackets are a critical lifesaving appliance. On the day of the accident, the vessel occupants were well equipped, wearing inflatable lifejackets suitable for the vessel’s operation. The circumstances of this accident highlight the importance for people to understand how to safely deflate and remove an inflatable lifejacket while in the water should they need to do so in an emergency.
Pre-departure safety briefings should include doffing procedures as part of lifejacket operational instruction so that vessel occupants are well informed should a sudden emergency occur.
Inflatable lifejackets rely on the successful operation of an inflation mechanism to make them buoyant. It is important that inflatable lifejackets are regularly inspected and maintained to ensure they work as designed when needed.
There were challenges in coordinating the search and rescue operation resulting in delays and elevating risk to those responding. The Commission considers it unlikely that the delays contributed to the overall outcome of this accident, given the toxic environment within the air pocket of the upturned hull. Nevertheless, valuable lessons can be learned from this response to better prepare for a search and rescue response for similar accidents in the future.
Who may benefit
All mariners, maritime regulatory agencies, industry stakeholders, recreational boaters, lifejacket manufacturers and their consumers, and agencies and operators involved in search and rescue operations.
Location
Goose Bay, south of Kaikōura (-42.483900,173.538304) [may be approximate]