Inquiry after ship rescue

Press, 30 January 1981, Page 1

Inquiry after ship rescue

An investigation has begun into the near-sinking of the fishing vessel Noel H. Rudkin off Lyttelton yesterday.

The Marine Division of the Ministry of Transport is seeking written statements from those who were aboard when the vessel was almost abandoned about 10km off the Lyttelton Heads. According to the Deputy Harbourmaster (Captain J. M. Partington), the Lyttelton Signal Tower received a distress message from the vessel soon after 9 a.m., when she reported that she was sinking and taking in water in the forepeak.

Those aboard manned the lifeboat, leaving one man aboard. Ten adults and two children were taken from the boat by the Lyttelton fishing vessel Deserae. Three later returned to the Noel H. Rudkin while the others were brought back into the harbour by fishing boats.

The Lyttelton Harbour Board’s tug Canterbury was on her way to rescue the stricken craft within 10 minutes of the time the "pan” distress message was received. After reaching the Noel H. Rudkin, the tug employed her full pumping power to keep the vessel afloat. As soon as the stricken vessel had reached a berth in the inner harbour, the Lyttelton Volunteer Fire Brigade was called to the scene to supplement the pumping effort. One crewman aboard the tug said that water was entering the - vessel so quickly that “I thought we had lost her.” As soon as the Noel H. Rudkin was made fast she was examined by Captain J. W. Wood, a marine surveyor acting on behalf of the marine insurance underwriters, officials of the Marine Division, and officials of Lane Walker Rudkin Industries, Ltd, parent company of Strathallan Fisheries. Few facts can be made available as to the cause of the mishap because a full hearing may be held before a Court of Inquiry. But it was said that the cause was believed to be from a fault in refrigeration piping.

The Noel H. Rudkin, a long-line fishing vessel formerly the Cecilia Troska, had had repairs at her

home port of Timaru and was on her way to Lyttelton to have more work done when she nearly sank. The 251-ton, 38m long vessel was brought to Lyttelton from Norway and arrived in March last year after a 22,400 km voyage under the command of her master and partowner, Captain Erling Dagsvold. She was to have remained in port for about a month while refrigerating equipment was being installed, but it was not until late July that she sailed for Timaru. None of the crew or the master were available yesterday for comment. In addition to picking up the crew and passengers aboard the Noel H. Rudkin’s lifeboat, the Deserae also salvaged sophisticated electronic equipment which had been put aboard the lifeboat.

The Noel H. Rudkin is reported to be valued about $2.8 million and New Zealand Insurance is said to have underwritten almost half that amount. A spokesman for Lane Walker Rudkin Industries said the incident resulted from an equipment malfunction which allowed water to enter the forward hull while the boat was off Godley Head. The vessel was on her way from Timaru to Lyttelton to undergo freezing equipment modifications.