$175,000 ship collision levy to fund training

A $175,000 payment made after two vessels collided in a Canterbury harbour will be put towards better watchkeeping training.

The 180-metre bulk carrier Rose Harmony and 24-metre fishing vessel Leila Jo (owned by Pegasus Fishing) collided between 10pm and 11pm on January 12, 2020. The crash, which happened just outside Lyttelton Harbour, left several crew members injured.

Leila Jo’s watchkeeper, Chris Anderson, was fined for leaving the vessel’s bridge unattended, and Pegasus Fishing also faced charges, but they were later dropped after the company and director Antony Threadwell agreed to pay $175,000 to Maritime New Zealand.

The payment, known as an enforcement undertaking, would fund watchkeeping training at the Westport deep sea fishing school and online, a Maritime New Zealand spokesperson said.

Pegasus Fishing also paid $15,000 in reparations to the Leila Jo’s crew, funded additional training for some of its crew and skippers ($24,000), and installed new intercoms ($8,000) and radars on its vessels ($18,300).

The company would also provide vessels and crew to take part in rescue helicopter training exercises and would donate $30,000 to the Sumner Coastguard for new equipment.

A watchkeeper’s role was to monitor for risks, Maritime New Zealand investigation manager Pete Dwen said.

‘‘Vessels should ensure someone is always on watch in that role.’’

Members of both crews were at fault for the collision, an earlier Transport Accident Investigation Commission report said.

The individuals operating each vessel were aware of the other and were on course for a head-on collision. Both should have altered course to avoid colliding, but neither did.

The commission said the people in charge of each vessel had low situational awareness of vessels in the area and the Rose Harmony’s bridge team was distracted by passengers on the bridge. The Rose Harmony’s skipper was later fined $2600. The commission recommended Pegasus Fishing enhance its training system to upskill deckhands in watchkeeping practices.

It also recommended Maritime New Zealand review the adequacy of watchkeeping training programmes when assessing or auditing operator safety systems for fishing vessels.

There was the potential for a more serious outcome, including deaths, the enforced undertaking said.

‘‘Pegasus and Antony Threadwell deeply regret that a collision occurred that placed workers at risk . . . The importance of watchkeeping cannot be understated and Pegasus has ensured this message has been reinforced with its workers,’’ it said.