The failure of one aged part aboard the Interislander ferry Kaitaki led to it losing power and drifting towards shore – endangering the lives of 864 people onboard, a safety report has found.
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission today released findings into the January 2023 incident, when Kaitaki lost power and drifted within about 1.4 km of coastline before its engines were restarted.
The failure came during strong winds and led to passengers being told to don lifejackets, with the ferry making a mayday call and its crew preparing lifeboats for possible deployment.
TAIC has made two recommendations for Kiwirail, who run Interislander, to improve preparation and management of engine room emergencies.
The Commission has also made three recommendations to Maritime New Zealand around evacuation planning for ferries, maritime incident readiness and response, and emergency towage and salvage in NZ waters.
TAIC had already issued interim recommendations in May 2023, after finding that the failure of a rubber expansion joint led to a rupture in the engine cooling system, which then led to an automatic shutdown of Kaitaki’s engines.
The joint was past its recommended service life.
TAIC Chief Commissioner David Clarke said the failure showed the importance of managing aging components in critical areas.
Safety-critical parts can fail, but their condition need to be monitored.
“In this case, a single component, overdue for replacement, failed and disabled a ship’s propulsion, putting at risk the vessel and the 864 people on board.”
Kiwirail says it has taken a series of actions to improve both crew training and asset management.
This includes strengthening training for emergency responses and more scope and frequency of emergency exercises.
The company said Interislander undertook a full review of asset management from the outset and has a group of experts providing guidance for assets, operational standards, and safety and reliability.
KiwiRail chief operations officer Duncan Roy said the TAIC report reinforced the importance of maintenance, strong oversight and emergency preparedness.
“The incident was serious, and it prompted a comprehensive reassessment of how we manage and maintain our ferries, and how our crews are supported to respond quickly and safely in emergency situations through training, and regular exercises.”
Kiwirail was convicted of breaches under the Health and Safety at Work Act in September 2024 over the incident, and was fined $412,500.
Maritime NZ said "while we are confident our RCCNZ, the frontline safety of life function, was mobilised as soon as possible, we accept that a Maritime Incident Response Team (MIRT), our back-office function stood up in large incidents, should have been formally declared at the outset of the incident consistent with our response policy," director Kirstie Hewlett said.
“However, we believe the Commission’s finding that the lack of a formal MIRT declaration would have adversely affected our ability to respond promptly had the situation escalated, misses the pulling together of key facts."
It also agreed, or partially agreed with the Commission's recommendations relating to Maritime NZ.
"And, as acknowledged by TAIC the recommendations, they have already been completed or are well underway."
"We only partially accept the recommendation on strengthening salvage and rescue capability. While we can, and do, highlight what capabilities are needed for response in NZ, ensuring the resourcing of emergency towage response capability is not something in our power to make happen."
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