A $175,000 payment made after two vessels collided in a Canterbury harbour will be put towards better watch keeping training, reports Better Business.
Bulk carrier collision
The 180-metre bulk carrier Rose Harmony and 24-metre fishing vessel Leila Jo (owned by Pegasus Fishing) collided between 10pm and 11pm on January 12, 2020.
The crash, which happened just outside Lyttelton Harbour, left several crew members injured.
Leila Jo’s watchkeeper, Chris Anderson, was fined for leaving the vessel’s bridge (control centre) unattended, and Pegasus Fishing also faced charges, but they were later dropped after the company and director Antony Threadwell agreed to pay $175,000 to Maritime New Zealand.
Enforcement undertaking
The payment, known as an enforcement undertaking, would fund watch keeping training at the Westport deep sea fishing school and online, a Maritime New Zealand spokesperson said.
Pegasus Fishing also paid $15,000 in reparations to the Leila Jo’s crew, funded additional training for some of its crew and skippers ($24,000), and installed new intercoms ($8,000) and radars on its vessels ($18,300).
The company would also provide vessels and crew to take part in rescue helicopter training exercises and would donate $30,000 to the Sumner Coastguard for new equipment.
A watch keeper’s role was to monitor for risks, Maritime New Zealand investigation manager Pete Dwen said.
“Vessels should ensure someone is always on watch in that role.”
Members of both crews were at fault for the collision, an earlier Transport Accident Investigation Commission report said.
Enhancing training system to upskill deckhands
The individuals operating each vessel were aware of the other and were on course for a head-on collision. Both should have altered course to avoid colliding, but neither did.
The commission said the people in charge of each vessel had low situational awareness of vessels in the area and the Rose Harmony’s bridge team was distracted by passengers on the bridge. The Rose Harmony’s skipper was later fined $2600.
The commission recommended Pegasus Fishing enhance its training system to upskill deckhands in watch keeping practices.
It also recommended Maritime New Zealand review the adequacy of watch keeping training programmes when assessing or auditing operator safety systems for fishing vessels.
Workers at risk
There was the potential for a more serious outcome, including fatalities, the enforced undertaking said.
“Pegasus and Antony Threadwell deeply regret that a collision occurred that placed workers at risk… The importance of watch-keeping cannot be understated and Pegasus has ensured this message has been reinforced with its workers,” it said.
An enforceable undertaking is an agreement between Maritime New Zealand and a duty holder (a person or company responsible for health and safety).
It is entered into voluntarily by the duty holder following a breach (including an alleged breach) and is legally binding.
It is generally used as an alternative to prosecution. It must include appropriate amends to victims and actions that promote health and safety at that work place, in the wider industry and in the community.
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Source: Better Business
