Lookout! - Maritime New Zealand

The vessel was within an hour of port after the
long journey, conditions were calm, the men
were clean and comfortable, and they soon
drifted off to sleep.
“Fatigue must have caught up
with us,” the skipper said.
Later reports showed that the vessel had
tracked across the path of a container vessel
before hitting rocks.
“All the watchkeeping alarms were set, and they
were working too. I was woken up by being
thrown into the corridor and was knocked out.
When I came to, I could hear the alarms blaring.”
The skipper then headed downstairs and met
the other crewmember, who said the vessel
was taking on water. The skipper made a
mayday call and drove the boat towards the
beach, where it grounded in 2 metres of water.
The three were rescued by a nearby pilot boat.
The vessel could not be winched free of the
water and was eventually broken up and
removed by diggers.
Left: The skipper made a mayday call and then
drove the launch towards the beach, where
it grounded in 2 metres of water. Right: The
grounded launch attracted a lot of interest
from locals.
LOOKOUT!POINTS
• The skipper and his crew had tried to
avoid fatigue. They slept well the night
before, consumed no alcohol, set all
watchkeeping alarms and were operating
the vessel in good conditions.
“We did it all right, but the fatigue still caught
up with us. The trouble is, you don’t think
you are fatigued. The log is filled in every
half an hour all the way from Suva, except
for that last entry that’s missing,” the
skipper said.
“All I can say, is if you think there’s any
chance you’re tired, take 2 nights’ sleep.
What’s another day Nobody wants to go
through what we went through. We were
just lucky no one was hurt.”
*Special thanks go to the skipper of
this vessel for his willingness to share
his experiences.
The vessel was eventually broken up and removed by a digger.
Photos (and cover) Bay of Plenty Times
MARITIME NEW ZEALAND LOOKOUT! JUNE 2011 9