Latest news with #AchillesBulker
1News
7 days ago
- General
- 1News
Cargo ship within 1m of grounding after rudder broke near Tauranga
Poor welding led to the rudder of a 177m cargo ship breaking off as it left Tauranga in 2023, with only the swift action of the crew preventing it from running aground, an investigation has found. A report by the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) into the incident was released today which explained how the 14.2 tonne rudder of the Achilles Bulker detached on July 24, 2023. The Panama-flagged ship bound for China finished loading logs at the Port of Tauranga and began pre-departure preparations at about 2pm. Two pilots — one qualified and one trainee — from the Port of Tauranga had boarded the ship. It was agreed the trainee pilot would have the conduct of the ship, known as the conn, for the sailing with support from the qualified pilot. ADVERTISEMENT Shortly after it cleared the harbour entrance, the ship's heading began to swing to port and deviate from its intended track. The track the Achilles Bulker took out of Tauranga Harbour. (Source: TAIC) Corrective action was being taken by the bridge team to return it to the centre line of the shipping channel when a loud bang was heard throughout the ship at 3.49pm. The qualified pilot took over the conn and a second, louder, bang was heard seconds later. Steps were taken to slow the ship as it continued out of the channel and into shallow waters, including ordering both anchors to be dropped. By 3.56pm, the ship had "effectively stopped" outside the channel with around 1m of water under the keel, narrowly avoiding grounding. "It is virtually certain that the swift and well-co-ordinated actions of the pilots and ship's crew prevented the ship running aground," the report found. ADVERTISEMENT Escort tugs then towed the ship further offshore to be anchored, where it remained for several days before being brought back to port to await a tow for overseas repairs. The 14.2 tonne rudder recovered from Tauranga Harbour. (Source: TAIC) The rudder was recovered from the shipping channel on July 26, with an inspection finding that the pintle — a metal pin the rudder pivotted around — was missing. The investigation found the pintle assembly had been removed and reinstalled during dry dock maintenance in China in 2021. Examination and testing of the wreckage found inconsistent welding penetration and thickness, with the welds having "significant porosity". "Those welds were susceptible to cracking from normal vibrations as they were generally poor quality with limited weld penetration." This meant components that secured the pintle in place failed, allowing the pintle to drop out before the rudder broke off. ADVERTISEMENT "It is virtually certain that the way the rudder pintle assembly was installed did not ensure that the pintle would remain in place during normal shipboard operations." The Transport Accident Investigation Commission said ships with a similar pintle assembly were at "far greater risk". Since the investigation, the commission had identified the safety issue relating to the quality assurance and oversight used during the pintle reinstallation and made recommendations. Maritime NZ agreed to work with an international marine accident forum on the issue.
NZ Herald
23-07-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
Tauranga: Poor welding blamed for cargo ship Achilles Bulker's rudder breaking
Two Port of Tauranga pilots - one qualified and one trainee - were aboard. With the ship's master, they agreed the trainee would have 'the conn', or conduct of the ship, for the outbound sailing, with support from the qualified pilot. It was the trainee's first time taking charge since joining the pilot training programme about five months earlier. By 3.17pm, the China-bound ship had begun its voyage with the assistance of two tugs. At 3.28pm, shortly after clearing the Tauranga Harbour entrance, the ship's heading began to swing off course. The bridge team was taking corrective action to return the ship to the centre line in the shipping channel when a loud bang was heard throughout the ship, and the ship shuddered about 3.49pm. The location of the incident. Map / Land Information New Zealand Toitū te Whenua The qualified pilot took over the conn and continued trying to get the ship back on course. A second, louder bang was heard a minute after the first. As the ship continued out of the channel into shallow waters, the qualified pilot took steps to slow it, including ordering the crew to drop both anchors. By 3.56pm the ship had 'effectively stopped' outside the channel. It 'narrowly' avoided grounding, the report said, with only about '1m under-keel clearance'. 'It is virtually certain that the swift and well-co-ordinated actions of the pilots and ship's crew prevented the ship running aground.' Escort tugs towed the ship further offshore where the vessel could be anchored. Achilles Bulker's track. Map / Transport Accident Investigation Commission It stayed there, about 6.5km off the coast surrounded by a 50m exclusion zone, for several days until it was brought back to the port to await a tow for repairs overseas, according to reporting at the time. The investigation report said it was not immediately apparent to the crew during the incident that the rudder had broken off. That was revealed by a diver's survey the next day, along with fractures to other parts of the rudder system. After an extensive search led by the Port of Tauranga, the rudder was recovered from the channel on July 26. The pintle was missing from the detached rudder when it was retrieved. Image / Transport Accident Investigation Commission An inspection found the pintle was missing from the bottom of the rudder. The pintle is a metal pin the rudder pivots around. The pintle was 942mm tall and weighed 428kg. The rudder weighed 14,231kg (14.2 tonnes). The investigation found that, during dry dock maintenance in China in 2021, the pintle assembly had been removed and reinstalled for the first time in the 20-year-old ship's history. Wreckage examination and testing found inconsistent welding penetration and thickness securing the pintle, with the welds having 'significant porosity'. Rudder system side view. Graphic / Transport Accident Investigation Commission 'Those welds were susceptible to cracking from normal vibrations as they were generally poor quality with limited weld penetration.' It meant components securing the pintle in place failed and the pintle was lost before the ship lost its rudder. Other components of the rudder system were exposed to excessive forces, ultimately leading to the loss of the rudder and loss of control of the ship. 'It is virtually certain that the way the rudder pintle assembly was reinstalled did not ensure that the pintle would remain in place during normal shipboard operations.' The commission said ships with a similar pintle arrangement to the Achilles Bulker were at 'far greater risk', putting seafarers and the environment in 'significant danger'. Since the investigation, the commission has identified the safety issue relating to the quality assurance and oversight used during the pintle reinstallation and made recommendations to address it. Maritime New Zealand agreed to work with an international marine accident forum to investigate building an evidential base for action to improve quality assurance systems related to dry dock work, which would include installation, major repairs and maintenance of ship systems.
