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Matt Shand / Stuff
A log hauler, Funing-9690913, lost power leaving the Port of Tauranga and had to drop anchor between Mauao and Matakana Island.
Two crew members of the MV Funing ship that was stranded in the port of Tauranga pleaded guilty and were fined for stranding the ship.
The incident occurred as the Singapore-registered log carrier was leaving the port for China when it ran out of power around 12:30 am on July 6.
The Funing drifted to the edge of the canal at the Mauao base after its engines failed and is believed to have made contact with a marker buoy in the canal.
The Captain, Liang Guang Hong, and the Chief Engineer, Chameekara Prasad Nanayakkara, pleaded guilty before the Tauranga District Court on September 10 on the charges brought by Maritime NZ under the Maritime Transport Act 1994.
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An investigation by Maritime NZ found that the ship lost power and passed through a channel marker and the propeller got caught in the marker chain, before making contact with a sandbar in the channel of the port of Tauranga.
Liang pleaded guilty to one count of operating the vessel “in a manner that caused unnecessary danger or risk to other persons or property, including the passengers and crew of the MV Funing.
Nanayakkara admitted one charge of causing or allowing the ship to be “operated, maintained or repaired, in a manner that caused unnecessary danger or risk to any other person or property, including the passengers and crew of the MV Funing.”
Both were fined $ 3,250 and $ 130 for court costs, the maximum penalty for both charges was 12 months in prison or a fine of $ 10,000.
Valerie Ewing / Supplied
The teacher and chief engineer have been fined $ 3,250 each plus court costs
Maritime NZ Central Region Compliance Manager Michael-Paul Abbott said that after a series of checks, a problem was found with the fuel quantity pistons.
“The problem started when one of the engine’s fuel quantity pistons indicated an error, which means that if it is not fixed, the engine power will be reduced, which is the power it needs when exiting through the narrow port entrance.” .
Abbott said the chief engineer tested the affected parts multiple times, each time setting off an alarm that suggests the problem had not been fixed.
The decision was then made to override the mechanism that automatically slows the boat in the event of an engine problem, as a precaution.
The pilot came aboard around midnight and the captain handed him a pilot card indicating that there were no problems affecting a safe departure.
However, when the ship tried to increase speed when leaving port, the chief engineer realized that there was still a problem and that the engine was not responding when shifting to full power.
The tugs were called by the Pilot to help the ship at 12:43 am.
Abbott said that at 12:47 am the main engine stalled after the propeller tangled with the channel marker as the stern turned and made contact with the sandbar.
“The tugs then turned the ship into the deepest channel of water and held it there until it could be towed to a safer anchorage. There it remained until July 14, when it was towed to port.
The Funing is currently being towed back to Singapore, which is expected to take around 40 days.
