Baltimore cargo ship disaster and bridge collapse highlights risks for Cook Strait

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon answers questions about the last time he used the Cook Strait ferry and how he can be certain the ferry service is safe. Video / Mark Mitchell

New Zealand’s maritime watchdog says the cargo ship that lost power and rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore highlights the “potentially devastating” risks in Cook Strait’s notorious waters.

In March, the cargo ship Dali experienced an electrical blackout about 10 hours before leaving the Port of Baltimore and again shortly before it slammed into the Francis Key Bridge and killed six construction workers.

Maritime NZ said the incident highlighted how critical the readiness to respond is.

“The Baltimore incident shows that even seemingly well-maintained and high-quality vessels can still lose power in critical situations, leading to potentially devastating consequences”, Maritime NZ said in a proactively released report to Transport Minister Simeon Brown from April.

“In the New Zealand context, the biggest risk presented by a ship losing power and drifting is in the Cook Strait.

“The work to ensure an ocean-going emergency response capability that can secure and stabilise a vessel that has lost power, and tow it to port, is vital in addressing this risk.”

Maritime NZ said in its report that it had recently highlighted several elements critical to ensuring New Zealand continued to be well-placed to respond to and mitigate the impacts of a serious maritime disaster.

The next paragraph in the report was redacted.

The Government announced $600,000 in Budget 2024 to investigate emergency towing options for Cook Strait.

There is no emergency towing vessel on standby in New Zealand to help large ships in strife - a situation highlighted by two high-profile incidents last year.

Interislander’s Kaitaki ferry narrowly avoided disaster after it lost power in Cook Strait and started drifting towards Wellington’s rocky south coast with 864 people on board. It’s unknown how harbour tugs sent to the ship’s aid would have fared should their assistance have been required.

The MV Shiling then lost power 22 nautical miles from Farewell Spit. The ocean-going tug Skandi Emerald happened to be in New Zealand for a work assignment and was able to secure the ship and tow it to Wellington.

Two port tugs meeting MV Shiling to help it to berth. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Brown said the $600,000 is for undertaking a business case to explore options and costs.

“I have asked the Ministry of Transport to work with Maritime New Zealand to consider options including the ability to hold a vessel in place and being able to tow a vessel to a safe harbour.

“The Government is committed to ensuring a resilient Cook Strait connection to connect people and support the movement of freight across Cook Strait,” Brown said.

The Baltimore commuter bridge collapsed after being struck by a container ship, causing vehicles to plunge into the water and halting shipping traffic at one of the most important ports on the US East Coast. Photo / Getty Images

Maritime Union of New Zealand national secretary Carl Findlay has said the money is an ambulance at the bottom of a cliff.

“They wouldn’t need it if they hadn’t been so silly to pull the programme on the new ferries.”

KiwiRail’s Interislander fleet of three ferries is reaching the end of its working life and needs to be replaced.

The Government effectively cancelled a plan to replace the ageing ferry fleet with two mega ferries after a cost blowout of $1.47 billion for the portside infrastructure needed to support the larger ships.

Ministers are yet to announce what the new plan is.

A Ministerial Advisory Group has provided recommendations for alternative options behind closed doors.

Meanwhile, Ministry of Transport officials have been considering whether Interislander could be separated into a new state-owned enterprise or sold.

KiwiRail chief executive Peter Reidy has said the state-owned enterprise remained committed to operating the Interislander service. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The ministry updated Brown about its work to assess the long-term requirements for a resilient Cook Strait connection in another weekly report from late April.

“Conversations have been held with port companies, ferry operators, industry representative organisations, freight forwarding and logistics businesses, the tourism sector and trade unions”, the report said.

There was a positive level of interest in the project, officials said.

“The first piece of advice to you, due end of May, will provide advice on whether there are any significant impediments to the market responding to provide increased capacity in a hypothetical scenario where KiwiRail exits the ferry business.”

KiwiRail chief executive Peter Reidy has said the state-owned enterprise remained committed to operating the Interislander service.

Georgina Campbell is a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in local government, transport, and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.