Substandard ships should be banned from New Zealand, under appropriate criteria, says the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) in its final report into the container ship Shiling, which twice had to be rescued and towed back to port in 2023.

TAIC’s Chief Investigator of Accidents, Naveen Kozhuppakalam, says substandard ships represent a real risk to their crew members, to New Zealanders – including coastal and harbour pilots, stevedores, and other contractors – and to New Zealand’s coastal environment.

“The Commission found that the Shiling had a history of deficiencies and that it’s virtually certain the ship wasn’t seaworthy while in New Zealand.”

On 15 April 2023, the Shiling was under pilotage outbound from Wellington and had just initiated a turn into the harbour entrance channel when it suffered a total loss of electrical power, which caused the main engine to stop. The ship’s momentum carried it into shallow water, and the crew used both anchors to prevent grounding. Harbour tugs then towed theShiling back to its berth for repairs.

“The Commission found that a cracked cylinder liner in an auxiliary generator caused the blackout. It found the ship’s generators and several other safety-critical systems were in a deteriorated condition, despite the ship holding valid statutory and classification society certificates,” said Mr Kozhuppakalam.

Following repairs, the Shiling departed Wellington again on 12 May 2023 and sheltered from adverse weather off the New Zealand coast. Upon entering the Tasman Sea, the ship’s main engine stopped again – this time because bilge water had contaminated its lube oil. With no way to restart the engine, the master made a Mayday call. A tow-capable vessel sailed from New Plymouth, towed the Shiling to sheltered waters, and eventually returned it to Wellington for further repairs.

“Rubber diaphragms designed to prevent water from entering the lube oil tank had deteriorated with age. It’s very likely the diaphragms had gone uninspected for years,” said Mr Kozhuppakalam.

Maritime New Zealand detained the Shiling for repairs and survey, and the ship eventually departed for Singapore in July 2023.

“The Commission is calling on the Ministry of Transport to consider legislating to give Maritime New Zealand the authority to ban certain ships from New Zealand. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has this power,” said Mr Kozhuppakalam.

TAIC is also recommending improvements to New Zealand’s tow-salvage capability.

“The presence of suitable tow vessels in New Zealand isn’t guaranteed. It was just fortunate that a suitable vessel happened to be in New Plymouth and able to respond.

“The Commission is aware that the government has contracted an open-ocean tug until June 2026, and that a business case is underway to explore emergency towing capability. This is an important safety issue, so TAIC recommends continuing work to develop and implement a comprehensive maritime incident response strategy and to strengthen salvage and rescue capability,” said Mr Kozhuppakalam.

TAIC has also identified several safety issues relating to the international and domestic systems for regulating foreign-flagged ships, and the ability of ship owners to devolve their responsibilities for safe operations to third parties without regulatory consequences. It has made recommendations to Maritime New Zealand to address these matters through the International Maritime Organization.

The Commission's purpose is to improve transport safety by avoiding repeat accidents, rather than by ascribing blame.

Note:

• The report is attached here 

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