The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has published its final report on the collision of a recreational boat with the Blue Ferry in the Bay of Islands on 13 April 2023.
The Commission's Chief Investigator of Accidents, Naveen Kozhuppakalam says the report highlights how vital it is that commercial passenger and all other marine operators have a safety management system that’s fit for purpose.
“Among the risks to passengers that the ferry operator overlooked was the risk of the sole-charge master being incapacitated – which was an unfortunate consequence of this accident,” said Mr Kozhuppakalam.
“The operator’s safety plan also didn’t detail watchkeeping procedures and keeping a good lookout, and it contained ambiguous, irrelevant and inaccurate information.
The report notes that before the accident, regulator Maritime NZ didn’t detect these problems, and that since the accident Maritime NZ has renewed its focus and engaged more deeply with operators on certification and audit of Maritime Transport Operator Plans.
The TAIC report describes how the recreational boat Onepoto collided with the passenger ferry Waitere, known locally as the Blue Ferry. The ferry was carrying 19 passengers from Russel to Paihia when Onepoto impacted Waitere at a right angle near the wheelhouse, causing catastrophic damage to the Waitere, which later sank.
The ferry’s master was seriously injured but its passengers were largely unharmed. There was some damage to the Onepoto but its skipper and passenger were uninjured.
The report shows how no-observance of good watchkeeping practice on both vessels led to the collision.
"Every skipper is human and no skipper can be sure everything is fine on another vessel. When vessels are getting closer, regardless of who should give way, both skippers must look, listen, and think about risk of collision. They must keep doing that until both vessels are getting further apart."
"Almost certainly, neither skipper kept a proper watch. Both did eventually see the other vessel, but too late to take avoiding action," said Mr Kozhuppakalam.
"This was a crossing situation. Onepoto was heading north at about 20.5 knots and Waitere was heading southwest at about 6 knots on the right side of Onepoto, so under the rules, Onepoto should have given way to Waitere.
"Speed is a crucial part of this. Every skipper should ensure their speed gives them time to keep track of the risks and be able to stop in a safe distance if required.
"The Commission found Onepoto was moving at 20.5 knots while its skipper was distracted by an engine alarm. It's important to attend to an engine alarm, but it's more important to avoid a collision. If Onepoto's speed had been appropriately slower it's very likely the collision would have been avoided or its consequences diminished."
There was no need for the Commission to make a new recommendation on the issue of watchkeeping. The regulator Maritime NZ engages in sufficient promotion of good watchkeeping and lookout practices via safety audits, guidance publications, and prosecuting where the rules are breached.