The accident with container vessel Rena off the coast of New Zealand was caused by a combination of haste, instrument deviations and indistinct communication. These conclusions were drawn in an interim research report by the Transport Accident Investigation Commission earlier today.
The ship ran aground in October on a reef off the New Zealand coast. It lost 50 tonnes of oil causing the largest environmental disaster in the country’s history.
Altered Course
According to the report, Rena’s master was under pressure to reach the port of Tauranga before the oncoming low tide. To gain time, the course was adjusted several times. The autopilot, however, suffered from deviations leading the course to deviate from the ones on the charts. The crew member in charge of mapping the course, brought this to the master’s attention, but he did not study the charts.
Guilty
After the radar went of, the master took binoculars to assess the situation, but as it was dark, he could not see. As he went back inside to study the charts, the ship ran aground. Recently, the master and second officer have pleaded guilty to ten out of the eleven charges laid by Maritime New Zealand (MNZ). Sentencing for both men will take place in the Tauranga District Court on 25 May. https://www.swzonline.nl/fotoverslag/57[Visit our Rena photo album of the slavage work that is still underway.] The interim report can be downloaded https://www.taic.org.nz/ReportsandSafetyRecs/MarineReports/Renasgroundingdetailinaccidentreport/tabid/244/language/en-US/Default.aspx[here]. Picture by https://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/Rena/gallery-salvage.asp[Maritime New Zealand] Sources: https://nos.nl/artikel/349133-olieramp-rena-mede-door-haast.html[NOS.nl], https://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/News/Latest-media.asp[Maritime New Zealand], and https://www.taic.org.nz/ReportsandSafetyRecs/MarineReports/Renasgroundingdetailinaccidentreport/tabid/244/language/en-US/Default.aspx[TAIC]
