NB: The below is a brief plain English summary of key points in the report. The Commission's report speaks for itself.
What happened
The fishing vessel Austro Carina stranded while fishing near Banks Peninsula on the night of 24 September 2023.
The four crew followed recently-practiced procedures, abandoned the vessel, took shelter on shore, and activated an Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB). The Rescue Coordination Centre’s response resulted in a quick rescue by helicopter.
The vessel suffered extensive damage. Stranded on a difficult-to access rocky shore, it quickly broke up and became unsalvageable. Its insurer declared it constructive total loss.
Why it happened
The vessel stranded because it was on a turn that took it toward land and nobody was in the wheelhouse to stop it happening.
- The master had started a slow turn to starboard while hauling the net then left the wheelhouse to help the crew with fishing activities, without turning on navigation aids and watchkeeping alarms.
- Had the master maintained a continuous navigational watch, it is virtually certain they would have adjusted the vessel’s course and speed, avoiding the stranding.
- It appears leaving the wheelhouse uncrewed for periods of 5–10 minutes was normal. The company’s instructions to the master and watchkeepers were not explicit on the matter.
It is about as likely as not that the crew lacked situational awareness of the vessel’s route, so did not challenge the master leaving the wheelhouse to assist on deck.
Safety issue: Maintaining a safe navigational watch
Watchkeeping standards and practices on the Austro Carina failed to ensure safe navigation while the crew were fishing.
International standards require watchkeepers to give stranding and safe navigation the same importance as collision (see International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel (STCW-F)).
Despite this, Maritime NZ’s seafarer competency framework and the vessel operator’s safety management system prioritised collision avoidance over stranding and safe navigation.
- This is not adequate. It increases the risk of watchkeepers on fishing vessels not always maintaining a safe navigational watch when fishing.
- The Commission’s report details MNZ’s work to address this issue. These reforms are work in progress, and the Commission has recommended that MNZ address this issue. [recommendation 029/25]
- The Commission recommendation to Pegasus Fishing Limited concerns its safety management system and watchkeeping standards [recommendation 030/25]