Friends onboard the Fiordland Navigator, a small crusing cruise ship operated by RealNZ, skilled a scare throughout their in a single day journey as their vessel ran aground on January 24, 2024.
The incident occurred in Uncertain Sound, New Zealand, a fjord some 80 miles south of the favored Milford Sound. The incident, which occurred round 6:15 PM native time, resulted within the vessel sustaining a minor breach in its hull and taking up water.
Small Fjord Exploration Cruise Ship Runs Aground
The Fiordland Navigator operates in a single day cruises in Milford Sound and Uncertain Sound. Though the vessel and its crew are skilled crusing within the space, an surprising occasion occurred nonetheless on January 24, 2024.
Throughout an in a single day cruise in Uncertain Sound, the vessel ran aground, taking up water. The vessel’s captain managed to make a mayday name that alerted native emergency response crews who rapidly made it to the scene.
Fortunately, all 57 company and 10 crew members on board had been safely evacuated to the close by city of Te Anau with none main accidents. Just one minor damage was reported, promptly attended to by medical personnel.
The Fiordland Navigator was refloated round 08:30 on the night time of January 24 and returned to its berth at Deep Cove, not removed from the place the vessel ran aground. The ship is now present process crucial repairs.
Investigations Underway
As with each maritime accident, particularly one that happens in one in every of New Zealand’s gorgeous nationwide parks, a rustic know for its strict biosecurity measures, native authorities had been fast to provoke an investigation.
The Transport Accident Investigation Fee (TAIC) of New Zealand Appearing Chief Investigator of Accidents, Jim Burtenshaw, informed Lakes Weekly:
“The staff’s proof assortment work is broad at first to help the numerous routes that the investigation might observe. As all the time, TAIC’s preliminary focus is on gathering proof that would disappear or change – proof from the accident web site, the vessel itself and reminiscences whereas they’re contemporary in individuals’s minds.”
“Over the subsequent a number of days, TAIC’s investigators will safe digital information – together with images, movies, and site knowledge on individuals’s cellphones – and interview vessel operator workers, crew and witnesses.”
Fiordland Navigator is a vessel operated by RealNZ, a neighborhood tour operator that operates one and two-day cruises to Uncertain Sound and Milford Sound.
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RealNZ’s Appearing CEO, Paul Norris, confirmed the corporate is cooperating absolutely with the investigations. The corporate can also be performing its personal investigation into the incident and is checking the seaworthiness of the vessel.
“We’re awaiting particulars of this evaluation in order that we, and our vessel surveyor, can decide what repairs should be undertaken to revive the watertight integrity of the vessel,” Norris stated.
“The Navigator will stay out of service till each RealNZ and our surveyor are glad she is protected and absolutely compliant – this will likely be for at the very least the subsequent few days.”
The grounding of the Fiordland Navigator highlights the challenges and unpredictability inherent in maritime journey, even when crusing in areas intimately acquainted to the crew crusing onboard.
It’s solely as a result of the crew onboard Fiordland Navigator took the motion wanted to maintain themselves and the 57 company onboard protected that the grounding didn’t finish in a way more extreme method.
