Poor seamanship, lack of proper charts led to Hauraki Gulf grounding
About 3.40am on April 16, 2024, the Chokyu Maru No.68 was approaching Auckland when it struck The Noises, a group of islands about 25km northeast of the city.
The ship sustained a small hole in its bow and damage to its propeller, but none of the 27 crew on board was injured and there was no oil leak or other environmental damage.
The 48-metre vessel was refloated later that morning and towed to port for repairs.
The grounding sparked an investigation by the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC), which released its findings late last week.
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Acting chief investigator of accidents Louise Cooke said it was a "textbook example" of what could happen when the basics of good seamanship were ignored.
"Basic seamanship is the core issue of this accident. Crew leaders must always plan the voyage, know the hazards, and verify position. This isn't optional, it's basic good seamanship and it's required all over the world," she said.
The TAIC report found the Chokyu Maru No.68 had left Japan without large-scale paper charts —in particular a crucial chart showing the approaches to Auckland — or nautical publications setting out the safest route into Waitematā Harbour.
The longliner also left Japan without a formal voyage plan.
In the absence of detailed paper charts, the master relied on the chart plotter to determine the ship's position.
However, electronic charts for New Zealand had not been installed, so the plotter did not display the small islands of the Hauraki Gulf.
The TAIC investigation also found only one of the vessel's two radar units was in use at the time, because the crew believed the second unit was broken.
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It was in fact working, but the settings were unsuitable for identifying hazards.
Without detailed charts or information about navigational risks, the master set a straight-line course to Auckland in the mistaken belief there was safe water all the way.
The TAIC report stated it was "virtually certain" the crew would have identified the hazards and plotted a safe course, had they prepared a voyage plan in advance using proper charts and publications.
The key lesson from the Chokyu Maru No.68 grounding was the "fundamental importance" of a well-researched and documented voyage plan.
Since the accident, Cooke said Maritime NZ had taken steps to improve the safety of foreign-flagged fishing vessels in New Zealand waters.
She said Maritime NZ inspectors now had better tools to identify and address safety issues, thanks to better access to world-wide data and the inclusion of fishing vessels in the international inspection regime.
TAIC investigations aim to establish the cause of transport accidents and prevent similar incidents happening again. They do not seek to assign blame or lead to prosecution.
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