An ocean going tug the Skandi Emerald has reached the Shiling , a vessel floating North North-West of Farewell Spit.

At 8.27 AM 12 May, the Shiling , a Singaporean flagged vessel put out a request for assistance, after it lost power and steering.

The vessel is situated about 22 nautical miles North North-West of Farewell Spit. It is slowly drifting North-East. There is currently no risk of it grounding. There are 24 crew on board.

At 11 am, the vessel put out a mayday call, due to heavy seas. A Search and Rescue response plan and preparations have been coordinated by RCCNZ.

RCCNZ’s Operations Manager Mike Clulow says rescue helicopters, and several rescue vessels are stationed nearby should they be required.

"We also have a NZDF’s P-8A Poseidon in the air above the ship to coordinate assistance, and other response assets are available should they be required.

This still has the potential to become a rescue situation, so we remain poised to respond" he says.

Maritime NZ’s Incident Controller Kenny Crawford says the feedback they have received from the Master is that the cargo is still secure.

Maritime NZ is monitoring the situation, including the actions being taken by the vessel’s owner to safely connect to the towing vessel and remove it to a safe location.

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