Boat’s master incompetent’

Press, 1 February 1983, Page 2

Boat’s master incompetent’

PA Wellington The Taiwanese fishing boat Yung Pen became stranded off Wellington last month because of “gross incompetence" by the master, said the Minister of Transport. Mr Gair. yesterday. Mr Gair was announcing the findings of the Marine Division's preliminary inquiry into the stranding off Owtiiro Bay on December 12. “In view of the gross incompetence shown by this master. I am informing all joint venture companies that, in the future. Chen Si Lin will not be accepted as a master on any fishing vessel working in the New Zealand Economic Zone,” he said. “When the prevailing weather, visibility, strong Cook Strait tides, and the breakdown of the radar equipment are taken into consideration, the master’s failure to steam away from land, failure to keep a proper lookout, and failure to check the position of the vessel can

only be considered as extreme negligence. "The vessel was well equipped. The master said that both radars and the satellite navigation equipment had broken down before the stranding. "There is no way to verifythis as the mate was not permitted to use the equipment, which was destroyed in the stranding." Mr Gair said. "However, the absence of radar should have alerted the master to the need for a vigilant lookout, especially as he claimed the visibility was down to 20 metres." The master’s claims of low visibility were not supported by witnesses or by photographs taken during the stranding, the Minister said. Visibility at nearby Wellington Airport was 4000 m at the time "As the cause of the stranding is known there is no need for a formal inquiry .” Mr Gair said.