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TRANSPORT ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION COMMISSION ACT 1990 CONTINUED… OVERLOADING LEADS TO TRAGEDY T he Transport Accident Investigation Commission has issued an urgent safety recommendation emerging from its continuing inquiry into the cap size and sinking of the fishing boat Easy Rider off Stewart Island on March 15. Eight people died and one person survived the tragedy. "There appear to have been stability limitations with the Easy Rider which will be shared by other boats of the same design," says the Commission's Chief Investigator of Accidents Captain Tim Burfoot. "The boats can be operated safely within these limitations, but owners and skippers need to know of them first to do so." "While these limitations have been known previously, it may be that information has not been passed on over the years with changes of owners, skippers and surveyors for these boats. The Commission has asked the Director of Maritime New Zealand to ensure that other boats of the same design are located and their owners are advised of this, and he's undertaken to take the necessary action." The Commission believes there may be at least five of at least nine boats of the same design, built nearly 40 years ago that are still in service. "I have to stress that the Commission has not yet made a finding as to whether the issue highlighted today contributed to the Easy Rider accident, but it is of concern. Accidents and their impacts typically result from a range of factors coming together," Captain Burfoot says. The Commission hopes to publish a final report into the tragedy by about March 2013. In the interim it has made the following comments and an urgent safety recommendation: Inquiry 12-201 Fishing vessel Easy Rider, sinking, Foveaux Strait, March 15, 2012 Urgent recommendation 020/12 At about 2000 on March 14, 2012, the fishing vessel Easy Rider departed Bluff for Great South The only survivor was one crew member who was sitting out on deck at the time. Cape Island off the west coast of Stewart Island. The skipper, two crew members and six passengers were on board. The passengers were to be offloaded at Great South Island, where they were to prepare for the upcoming muttonbird harvest. The skipper then intended to travel to his fishing grounds to engage in commercial fishing. The weather at the time that the vessel sailed was described by local fishermen as poor. It was forecast to deteriorate further with the passing of a frontal weather system across the Foveaux Strait area. The wind was forecast to increase to about 40 to 50 knots from the northwest before easing to 15 knots from the southwest after the weather front had passed. During March 14 the skipper loaded Easy Rider with ice and bait in the fish hold, and loaded cod and crayfish pots and other associated fishing gear on the deck. The skipper then loaded stores, equipment and personal effects for the 'mutton-birders'. The stores and equipment covered most of the aft fishing deck 74 Professional Skipper July/August 2012 The Commission is in the process of firstly modeling the Easy Rider's 'light ship' stability from data obtained for other vessels of the Owenga class, and secondly, estimating its actual stability on the accident voyage. The Commission has evidence that since the Owenga class fishing vessels were built, authorities have recognised that they had limited reserve stability and could become unstable if too much weight was loaded on deck. In one case the surveyor recommended that a plaque be placed in the wheelhouse warning skippers not to load too much on deck. The Commission has made preliminary calculations that support this view. Thirty seven years after the Owenga class of fishing vessels were built and with successive changes in ownership, it is possible that the current owners of the remaining vessels may not be aware of the special stability characteristics of their vessels. The Commission recommends that the Director of Maritime New Zealand trace the whereabouts of the remaining Owenga class fishing vessels and ensure that the appropriate stability calculations have been made for each vessel and alert the owners to any special stability characteristics they should be considering in the daily operation of their vessels. and in places was stacked as high as the roof of the wheelhouse. At about 0003 on March 15 the Easy Rider was north of the Bishop and Clerks Islands at the western end of the Foveaux Strait in an area known for strong variable currents and turbulent water. The Easy Rider was engulfed by a large wave in this area and capsized, remaining afloat for about two hours before sinking. The only survivor was one crew member who was sitting out on deck at the time. He described the wave swamping the deck and the vessel heeling violently to port and capsizing. Four bodies have been recovered and four are still missing. The Easy Rider was believed to have been built in about 1975 by Dillingham to the Owenga design for use in the Chatham Islands fisheries. The vessel was constructed of steel and was about 11 metres overall length with a beam of about 3.55 metres. It was powered by a single diesel engine. There was thought to have been nine of its class built. Four including the Easy Rider, have been lost at sea over the years for differing reasons including one, that was overwhelmed by a large wave, and five are thought to be still in use. One of these five is currently being used for commercial fishing out of Bluff. Easy Rider loaded for fishing