The vessel ran aground January 11, 2018 after the 17-year-old helmsman fell asleep at the wheel. Crew fatigue led to the grounding and loss of commercial fishing vessel Jan and its owner, Wild Fish (NZ) Limited, being fined $27,200 following prosecution by Maritime NZ. Maritime NZ Northern Regional Manager, Neil Rowarth, said the sole helmsman at the time of the grounding, … [Read more...]
MV Rena Wreck No Longer a Hazard to Navigation
The wreck of the MV Rena on Astrolabe Reef no longer poses a hazard to navigation nearly four and a half years after the containership ran aground resulting in New Zealand's worst maritime environmental disaster. The news comes as Director of Maritime NZ withdrew two statutory notices that declared the wreck a hazard to navigation (under section 100A of the Maritime … [Read more...]
MV Rena Owner Allowed to Abandon Wreck
The owners of the MV Rena will be able to abandon what remains of the shipwreck on New Zealand's Astrolabe Reef but will need to pay for ongoing costs under a strict court order. The ruling was handed down Friday by panel of Commissioners following a five-week hearing that ended last October to determine whether Rena's owner, Diana Shipping, could abandon the remains of the … [Read more...]
Drunk Ship Captain Arrested in New Zealand
Parmod Kumar, Master of the African Harrier, a 2014-built, 37k deadweight ton bulk carrier, pleaded guilty on Monday in New Zealand's Tauranga District Court to operating a ship under the influence of alcohol. He was found to have five times the legal breath alcohol limit and is the first person to be prosecuted since a change to the legislation in October 2013. He was fined … [Read more...]
Port of Auckland Fined Over Stevedore’s Fall from Maersk Containership
New Zealand's Ports of Auckland Ltd (POAL) has been fined NZD$55,000 (US$41,000) and ordered to pay NZD$25,000 in reparation to a stevedore who was seriously injured in a fall while unloading a containership at the port in January 2014. POAL admitted to a charge of failing to take all practicable steps to ensure the safety of employee under the Health and Safety in … [Read more...]