Wave piercing catamaran ferry "Condor 10", heavy weather damage, Wellington Harbour entrance, 16 March 1998
Status
Closed
Occurrence Date
Report Publication Date
Jurisdiction
NZ
Legacy Inquiry Number
98-204
At about 0826 on Monday, 16 March 1998, "Condor 10" was proceeding out of Wellington Harbour into a moderate southerly swell, when the vessel encountered two short steep waves of approximately 4.5 m in height. The master reduced speed as "Condor 10" rose over the first wave, and the vessel dipped onto the face of the second wave. The resultant slamming displaced the bow visor and caused substantial damage to the surrounding hull structure. None of the 231 passengers and 22 crew were injured in the incident.
Safety issues identified included:
• the level of type-rating training for the crew of high speed craft,
• the quality of route assessment
• the adequacy of route information provided for the master
• the interpretation of the "worst expected conditions"
Safety Recommendations were made to the Managing Director of Tranz Rail, the Director of Maritime Safety, the Wellington Regional Council Harbourmaster and the Area Manager for Det Norske Veritas to address the safety issues.
Safety issues identified included:
• the level of type-rating training for the crew of high speed craft,
• the quality of route assessment
• the adequacy of route information provided for the master
• the interpretation of the "worst expected conditions"
Safety Recommendations were made to the Managing Director of Tranz Rail, the Director of Maritime Safety, the Wellington Regional Council Harbourmaster and the Area Manager for Det Norske Veritas to address the safety issues.
Location
Wellington Harbour entrance (-41.354682,174.840117) [may be approximate]