New Zealand authorities respond to cargo barge grounding on South Island
Maritime New Zealand and other partner agencies have begun work to ensure the stability of a barge that ran aground on South Island earlier this week.
The incident occurred shortly after 00:00 local time on Sunday, September 1, when the 100-metre-long Manahau ran aground at Carters Beach. The 11-strong crew have remained on board the vessel and are safe.
Maritime NZ said the barge is intact, no items have been lost, and there are no leaks. There was also no cargo on board at the time, though the barge's tanks reportedly contain approximately 100,000 litres of diesel.
Following a discussion with local and regional authorities, Maritime NZ is now the lead response agency for the incident. This means it will oversee the government response work being undertaken in relation to the vessel and the grounding.
Several Maritime NZ personnel have since headed to nearby Westport to support the effort, while a maritime incident response team has been set up in Wellington, and is being supported by other staff around the country.
Maritime NZ Incident Controller Blair Simmons said the key priority has been to stabilise the vessel and then to consider how to move it in a way that would not impact the safety of people and the environment. This will require careful planning and analysis, and it will take some time to put things in place.
Maritime NZ said that, as the vessel remains stable, so there is time for this to occur. All work will be undertaken during daylight hours.
Maritime NZ is urging people to assist the salvage efforts by staying away from the area around the grounded barge, as the site is an operational area with several hazards to the public.
The vessel’s operator, West Coast Bulk Logistics, has informed Maritime NZ that it has spoken to salvage experts, and is planning on bringing a specialist tug down from Taranaki to support a potential re-float later this week.
Maritime NZ clarified that the operator is responsible for the development of the salvage plan for the vessel.
