They are based on the MSA’s assessment of the accidents that have occurred over the last few months, the investigations into which are only now nearing completion.
- What do the new manning requirements for the ferries involve and what are they designed to achieve?
The new manning requirements are for the ferries to carry four crew on the bridge – the ship’s master, a navigating officer, a dedicated lookout and a dedicated helmsman – when operating in Wellington Harbour and the Marlborough Sounds and its approaches during the hours of darkness and anywhere during times of poor visibility.
In addition, in Wellington Harbour and the Sounds and its approaches, three crew – the Chief Engineer, the Engineer of the Watch and an Integrated Rating – will be required in the engine room.
At all other times in pilotage areas, three crew will be required on the bridge.
At present, both ferry companies usually carry either two or three crew on the bridge and two in the engine room when operating in Wellington Harbour/the Sounds during the hours of darkness or in restricted visibility.
Extra qualified crew will provide additional ‘eyes and ears’ all round and an increased ability to dedicate an individual to any specific monitoring task, eg, radar or visual lookout.
Q. What will the new inspections involve?
The MSA carries out annual audits of the ferry companies. The frequency of these will be increased to at least three monthly.
Inspections of ferries by MSA staff are carried out at on average every six months. These inspections will be carried out more frequently, including unannounced spot checks being introduced.
Inspectors and auditors will also travel on the vessels to a far greater extent, rather than carrying out port only based assessments.
Can the public have confidence that the ferries are safe?
Yes, the public can have confidence in their safety – the MSA would not let the ferries sail if it didn’t believe they could operate safely.
Both ferry companies have introduced a range of measures to increase safety margins (see above list) over recent months.
The new measures announced by the MSA today are designed to add a yet further margin of safety, pending the outcome of the wider review of Cook Strait ferry safety (see below) and the finalisation of several current incident investigations.
Q. Given that the MSA is requiring ferries to carry more crew on the bridge to act as watchkeepers, was this the cause of last night’s fatality?
No, the cause of last night’s tragedy is not yet known, and nor is this accident the single cause of these initiatives.
The requirement to carry additional crew on the bridge is based on an assessment to date of a number of incidents that have occurred over the last eight months that seem to indicate problems with navigation on the ferrys’ bridges.
What will the review of Cook Strait ferry services involve and when will it be completed?
A first principles look at ferry safety from all angles, involving MSA, the ferry companies and the local Harbourmasters. The review should take approximately six months to complete.
Why is the review being carried out?
The review is being carried out to help the MSA gain a long term overview of Cook Strait ferry safety issues and also anticipate the likely arrival of larger and more complex vessels.
The MSA has carried out investigations of all Cook Strait ferry incidents that have occurred, and a large number of additional safety measures have been introduced as a result (see above).
However, incidents are continuing to happen, for whatever reason.
For further information contact:
RCCNZ Media Line
Phone 04 499 7318
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