The 294m Shiling is anchored at Tasman Bay after losing power and steering on Friday off the coast of Farewell Spit. Photo: Vessel Finder
Wellington's harbourmaster and port company are deciding how best to berth a container ship that's almost the length of three rugby fields.
The Shiling has been safely anchored in Tasman Bay since Saturday, after losing power and steering on Friday off the coast of Farewell Spit.
Maritime New Zealand said on Sunday the vessel would be towed to Wellington however authorities were yet to confirm when this may happen.
Wellington harbourmaster Grant Nalder said one of the challenges was that the ship is 294m long, and a risk assessment looking at how best to bring it into port would be done over the next few days.
"What are the issues with it, what weather parameters do we put on it to make sure we can do it safely, and what's the criteria for doing the job," Nalder explained.
"Can we get this in and out safely, can we look after it while it's here, and just how that's going to work.
"Maritime New Zealand have got the overview of the incident at the moment, so they (also) need to be satisfied that the move can be done safely."
"We don't usually have ships of that size with no power" - Grant Nalder
"Once the ship and the owner have got all the contracts in place then we can look at whether we have the right weather here and at that point they will get it under way from Tasman Bay.
"We're looking at doing it reasonably soon because the ship and the crew are better supported if they're alongside a wharf than out of anchor."
The assessment would be modelled off another completed last year for a smaller ship, he said. La Richardais broke down off the coast of Raglan last May and was towed to New Plymouth, and then on to Wellington, before being towed overseas.
The Shiling break-down was expected to cause some disruption once it arrived at the capital's port.
"It's disruptions to other vessels, it's disruptions for the importers and exporters, for their cargo, for the crews, it's just a multitude of factors really. It's better when these things work as they should," Nalder said.
However, he noted Wellington port company CentrePort had successfully managed the Shiling in a way that accommodated other vessels when the ship had similar problems in just last month.
While engine faults were not ideal, they were also not entirely unusual, Nalder said.
"They're not frequent, but they're not unheard of," he said.
"This ship unfortunately has had a few more than most, and that's why we're being very cautious with it."
CentrePort chief executive Anthony Delaney said the port agency was asking for more information about the ship from its owners and their representatives, and the current tug operator.
"We are in the planning phase right now for the potential return of the Shiling to CentrePort.
"This information will enable us to work alongside the Harbourmaster and Maritime New Zealand, to assist the Shiling and her crew into Wellington Harbour and to CentrePort."
The company had experience handling and berthing dead ships, Delaney said.
"We'll be focusing on minimising any impact the Shiling may have on regular shipping.
"In the event that the Shiling does return to CentrePort, we'll need to manage potential disruption to our other shipping on Aotea Quay and move the Shiling around our berths as required, to accommodate other vessels."
Maritime NZ incident controller Kenny Crawford said the Maritime Incident Response Team was actively monitoring the situation.
"While the decisions around passage, anchoring locations and towage are managed by the owners of the Shiling, Maritime NZ has oversight, and is liaising with CentrePort and the Wellington Harbourmaster to ensure the process is managed safely."
Payment for the tow would be managed by the Shiling's owners and their insurers.
The ocean-going tug Skandi Emerald which was sent to take the ship in tow when it broke down on Friday assist was part of the offshore support out of Taranaki. It was out of the port at the time and contacted by Maritime New Zealand to assist.
There was no seagoing tug in Wellington, and Nalder said harbourmasters and Maritime New Zealand were looking at what was available in ports in the whole country and whether anything should be done differently to ensure better protection.