Ferry masters had reason to take care

Press, 17 December 1976, Page 1

Ferry masters had reason to take care

By

BARRY SIMPSON

The wind was gusting strongly from the south as the empty Aratika turned broadside to the Wellington rail-ferry berth and began to swing about to move stem-first to the linkspan berth. It was obvious that Captain John Mansell, in command on the short trip across Wellington Harbour from the overseas wharf, and Captain Laurie Collins, who had brought the converted freighter back from Hong Kong, were handling the vessel very carefully. Each captain, on each wing of the bridge, looked slightly apprehensive as the bows, riding high out of the water, caught the wind. The stem’s swing became more pronounced. Gently, the Aratika slid into her berth, and only when she was locked in did Captain Mansell relax. “I hope I don’t have to do that too often,” he said to a very understanding Captain Collins. I was puzzled. Surely both men were experienced masters and had berthed these ferries hundreds of times, in worse conditions.

Captain Collins gestured to the wharf running parallel to the rail-ferry berth. There, sitting very low in the water, was the tanker Kurdistan. We had passed within about 15m of her in our stern-first manoeuvres. “She’s got about 120,000-odd gallons of aviation gas on board. If we’d nudged her it’s possible that half of Wellington would have gone up,” he said. Asked if this apparently dangerous situation was

recognised by the port authorities, Captain Collins said he could not say. However, he said, those people who had protested against the visit to Wellington by the United States nuclear-powered cruiser Truxton did not appreciate that the danger from the Truxton was infinitesimal compared with the dangers of bringing a ferry in to a berth in bad conditions, and past a tanker laden with highoctane fuel.