 has released an interim report into the grounding of the… ){kind=link}
New Zealand’s Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has released an interim report into the grounding of the passenger ferry Aratere in Titoki Bay, Picton, on June 21, 2024, citing lack of knowledge about the steering system.
The Aratere had been in service for about 26 years, and in May 2024, KiwiRail installed a new steering control system in four of the five command consoles on the bridge. It wasn’t installed on the autopilot console, which was part of the original track pilot integrated bridge navigation system by a different manufacturer. In the three weeks following wet docking, Aratere completed 83 Cook Strait crossings.
For Aratere’s 2120 Picton to Wellington sailing on June 21, 2024, the bridge team comprised:
• Pilot: Master (the Refamiliarisation Master) re-acquainting themselves with the ship after some time commanding other vessels.
• Co-pilot: the Night Master, in command.
•Helmsman: a Deck Rating at the central helmsman steering console.
• Assisting as required: Officer Of the Watch (OOW) and a Deck Rating on lookout duty
Timeline:
2119: departure Aratere left its berth at Picton. The re-familiarisation master, piloting and controlling the engines, asked the helmsman to steer for the first waypoint off Mabel…