KiwiRail fined $375,000 for grounding of Aratere

News from Maritime New Zealand
KiwiRail was today fined $375,000 and $25,000 costs for the grounding of the Aratere in 2024. It was sentenced under sections 48 and 36 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.
The KiwiRail ferry Aratere ran aground on the evening of 21 June 2024 while undertaking a freight sailing between Picton and Wellington. At the time, there were 39 crew members and eight passengers on board. The vessel grounded at Titoki Bay in Picton Harbour.

The ferry was refloated the following evening. There were no oil spills and no breaches to the vessel’s hull because of the grounding.

The event followed changes to a safety critical steering system on the Aratere .

In June 2025 Maritime NZ prosecuted KiwiRail for breaches under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. KiwiRail pled guilty to charges under sections 48 and 36. KiwiRail was sentenced today in the Wellington District Court.

Maritime NZ’s investigation found failures in KiwiRail’s change management processes and organisational controls, including training and familiarisation, documentation, control of critical steering functions, and bridge resource management.

“Steering systems are safety-critical. The crew must have a clear understanding of how the systems work and how to override any automatic commands,” Maritime NZ Director, Kirstie Hewlett, says.

“In this case, there was a clear knowledge gap about how the newly installed steering console worked, including in an emergency.

“This event sends a clear message to operators to ensure Masters and crews are properly trained and provided sufficient time and opportunity to familiarise themselves when introducing safety critical equipment, so that they can correctly undertake all safety critical actions on the vessel.”

Content Sourced from scoop.co.nz
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