February edition of Sea-Change from Maritime NZ

by Compiled by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World.com/nz 15 Feb 2018 20:43 NZDT 15 February 2018

Maritime surveyors have welcomed nine 40 Series rule exemptions will assist commercial operators in complying more easily with Maritime Rules © Maritime New Zealand

Latest issue of SeaChange - February 2018.

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Issue 47

February 2018

WELCOME to SeaChange – highlighting what's new and what's changing at Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) and in the maritime sector.

In this issue

Float-free EPIRBs to be compulsory

‘Float-free’ distress beacons will soon become compulsory for commercial fishing vessels to improve safety in the sector.

Operators need to install float-free EPIRBs on all applicable commercial fishing vessels by next January 1 - in one of five changes to the Maritime Rules made recently by the Minister of Transport.

Skipper ordered to pay $130,000 reparations

The skipper of a recreational boat that collided with a rocky outcrop in the Coromandel has been ordered to pay a total of almost $130,000 in reparations to three victims on board.

Speed and alcohol were factors in the night-time crash in January last year, which threw one man overboard.

All three passengers were injured, with two requiring hospitalisation. The skipper was unharmed at the helm of the seven metre runabout.

‘No Excuses’ catches speeding boaties

Marlborough Harbourmaster Luke Grogan and Maritime Officer Matt Wood taking part in the on-the-water speed gun trial.

Boaties have been caught speeding in Marlborough, while the ‘No Excuses’ boat safely compliance teams have been out in force in many parts of the country.

Maritime NZ has partnered with regional councils this summer to stop recreational boaties on our lakes and harbours, and check they are sticking to rules around lifejacket use and safe speeds.

Census at sea

If you will be at sea on our next Census Day - March 6 - you have a couple of options for making sure you’re counted:

You will have some time to fill out your details for the Census in the days before March 6. Every household will get a Census access code in the mail later this month. Once you receive the code you can complete the on-line, or paper, form anytime from then until March 6.
You can also check with your employer about options for completing it on-line on the Census Day itself.

Look out for the Census code arriving in your letterbox and keep it somewhere safe.

More information here: https://www.census.govt.nz/

Maritime rule exemptions assist compliance

Maritime surveyors have welcomed nine 40 Series rule exemptions that will assist commercial operators in complying more easily with Maritime Rules relating to ship design, construction and equipment.

The adoption of new technology and more modern equipment in the maritime domestic sector has run ahead of current rules that were implemented back in 2000.

Surveyor Rupert Shaw applauds Maritime NZ for their initiative and efforts: “The exemptions enable more practical vessel compliance and survey consistency while the full set of rules is reviewed...”

Supporting the search for missing Kiribati ferry

RCCNZ and NZ Air Force personnel discuss drift modelling during the search for the missing Kiribati ferry.

The Rescue Coordination Centre of New Zealand and the Royal New Zealand Air Force supported Fiji RCC during the extensive search for the MV Butiraoi last month.
During the first full day’s searching by our P3 Orion a dinghy load of seven survivors was spotted and the fishing vessel FC Lomalo detoured 90 kilometres to rescue the group.

The Australian and United States Defense forces joined the ongoing rescue effort, which attracted intense media interest from around the world. Sadly no other survivors were found of the 88 on board.

International convention for fishing seafarers

New Zealand is helping local seafarers with fishing qualifications to have their training recognised when working overseas, by being an early adopter of the IMO’s International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel, 1995 (STCW-F). It will take effect for New Zealand next month.

We’re among the first 21 nations to adopt the convention, which came into force globally in 2012 - however New Zealand’s Maritime Rules are already largely consistent with its requirements.

Helping protect Poor Knights marine reserve

Maritime NZ is helping protect our marine environment with a campaign against ships encroaching into the Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve area off Northland.

A total of 19 infringement notices were handed out last year for ships that illegally entered the "area to be avoided" around the reserve. Fishing is prohibited in the reserve, and ships longer than 45 metres are banned from the broader area.

‘Lifejacket campaign wins global advertising award

New Zealand’s lifejacket campaign won Maritime NZ and advertising agency FCB Media a gold global award at the international Festival of Media Awards in New York late last year.

The award for Best Use of Mobile was for “Virtual Coastwatch” – a geo-fencing digital advertising initiative that was part of the Maritime NZ campaign for several summers.

One of four dogs is transported by helicopter, along with the injured farmer, after being rescued from a bull attack.

Beacon saves farmer and dogs from bull

Our Rescue Coordination Centre of New Zealand is called on to help in a wide range of incidents. One of the more unusual, just recently, was to rescue a farmer and his dogs from a rampaging bull.

The injured farmer’s helmet, and distress beacon, saved him when trapped under his quad bike after one of the herd of bulls charged him. The crew of the Hawke’s Bay rescue helicopter flew both the man and his four farm dogs to safety.