A specialist recovery team has spent the day ensuring all necessary preparations and precautions are in place for the successful recovery of the barge Manahau off Carter’s Beach.
“The recovery team that we have engaged is very experienced at what they do. The refloat will go ahead when the Salvage Master is satisfied that the necessary equipment is in place, the conditions are right, and there is no risk to our crew or the environment,” says Westland Mineral Sands Managing Director Ray Mudgway.
All 11 crew remain safe and comfortable on board. The vessel is stable, the hull is intact, there are no leaks and no immediate risk to the environment.
Prior to the accident the barge was at anchor, unladen and waiting for conditions to abate before undertaking a safe crossing into Westport.
Westland Mineral Sands has begun its own investigation to help it understand how the incident occurred and is cooperating fully with relevant authorities.
“The Manahau is a critical component of the Westland Mineral Sands (WMS) project to enable the efficient and sustainable transport of sands from river ports on the West Coast to a bulk export ship immediately off the coast.
“This process is what is known as a ‘ship to ship transfer’. While it is new to New Zealand, these operations are conducted daily, at large scale around the world. The crew on board have the requisite experience and qualifications to undertake these transfers in appropriate weather conditions,” says Mr Mudgway.
The Manahau made its first commercial sailing two weeks ago when the vessel crossed the Westport bar and shipped 3500t of mineral sands to Nelson without incident. The first planned ship to ship transfer was scheduled for next week.
“We have a long-established, experienced team including shipping experts, weather forecasters and master mariners advising us on all facets of the operational set up. The vessel is specifically designed to navigate river bars like those in Buller and Grey.
“The team at WMS is very disappointed about this incident. We pride ourselves on world-class operational practices. We are doing everything in our power to protect our crew and the environment and ensure this sort of incident never happens again.”
WMS will continue to provide updates as the operation progresses.
For more information please contact media@wmsnz.com
