A freight ship master and also primary designer have actually been punished and also fined after confessing to costs connecting well-known engine issues that caused their ship to shed power and also run swamped at the Port of Tauranga in July.
The Singapore- signed up log-carrier MV Funing shed power and also overlooked a network pen with the prop coming to be captured in the markerchain, prior to reaching a sandbank in the Tauranga Harbor network.
A Maritime NZ examination and also succeeding prosecution verified that the master recognized there was a concern with the major engine before separation and also stopped working to inform the pilot that there was an issue, claimed Michael-Paul Abbott, Maritime NZ’sCentral Region Compliance Manager The primary designer was additionally verified to have actually stopped working to retest the major engine to guarantee it was operating all 5 cyndrical tubes after addressing the gas amount piston mistake, he included.
Master Liang Guang Hong and also primary designer Chameekara Prasad Nanayakkara both went into guilty appeals in the Tauranga District Court on September 10 to costs brought by Maritime NZ under the Maritime Transport Act (MTA) 1994. The master beg guilty to one fee under Section 65( 1 )( a) of the MTA, of running the vessel “in a manner which caused unnecessary danger or risk to other persons or property, including the passengers and crew of the MV Funing,” and also the primary designer confessed one fee under area 65( 2 )( a) of the MTA, for triggering or allowing the ship to be “operated, maintained or serviced, in a manner that caused unnecessary danger or risk to any other persons or property, including the passengers and crew of the MV Funing.”
Each was fined $3250 and also purchased to pay $130 court expenses. The optimum charge for both costs was year’ jail time or a $10,000 penalty.
“Following a series of checks on the engine of the Funing prior to its departure from the Port of Tauranga, a problem was found with the fuel quantity pistons. At this time, the wind was gusting 15 to 30 knots with the wave height approaching 4 meters and rain had reduced visibility,” Abbott claimed.
“The problem started when one of the engine’s fuel quantity pistons indicated an error, which means that if this isn’t addressed, the engine’s power will be reduced – which is power it needs when exiting the narrow harbor entrance.”
In the hrs leading up to the engine failing, the primary designer checked the damaged components a variety of times, each time setting off an alarm system recommending the issue had actually not been remedied. The choice was after that made to bypass the device that instantly decreases the vessel in case of an issue with the engine, as a tried preventive action.
“The pilot subsequently came aboard around midnight and the master handed him the pilot card which indicated that there were no issues affecting a safe departure. But as the ship tried to increase speed on leaving port, the chief engineer realized there was still a problem with one of the fuel quantity pistons and that the engine was not responding with the shift to ‘full ahead’ (full power). The pilot asked the Master several times why the ship was going slowly, but did not receive a clear explanation,” Abbott claimed.
“As an outcome, theNo 2 engine cyndrical tube shed all power, and also throughout this moment the wind and also swell had actually enhanced. At 0043 hrs the pilot called the pull watercrafts to find and also help and also the Master purchased the support to be gone down. At 0047 hrs the major engine quit after the prop came to be knotted with the network pen while the demanding swivelled and also entered into call with the sand financial institution.
“The tugs then turned the vessel into the deeper channel water and held it there until it could be towed into safer anchorage. There it remained until July 14 when it was towed into port.”
The Funing is presently being hauled back to Singapore which is anticipated to take about 40 days.
