PACINUI

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Sanford rejected suggestions Pacinui failed to help Amaltal Columbia

Sanford rejected suggestion it failed to help when the "Amaltal Columbia" issued a mayday call on Sep 12, 2012, after it caught fire and had to be abandoned. The "Pacinui", which was chartered by Sanford, was in the area at the time the Talley's vessel caught fire. The "Pacinui" was claimed to have headed away from the scene, in contravention of maritime law. Sanford said that is not correct as another Sanford vessel, the "San Discovery", was closer to the drama and went to help instead. It went to the "Amaltal Columbia", picked up some people, took them to Lyttelton and then returned to the vessel and took it in tow. The "Pacanui" went on to Timaru.

Fine for oil spill

Two companies involved in an oil spill in Timaru's harbour have been fined $30,000 between them. The "Pacinui" was refuelling its main engine when 171 litres of light fuel oil was discharged in January 2011. The vessel was registered in Korea, owned by PPMH Korea Inc, chartered by Juahm Industries and sub-chartered by Sanford. All three companies pleaded guilty, and the Christchurch District Court released its decision on Dec 22. The clean-up and response efforts of the ship's crew was commendable, but the incident could have been avoided. The spill was not deliberate, but due to a failure to secure the systems at the commencement of bunkering. The offending was principally brought about by omission of the crew. Safe refuelling can be planned and carried out to the letter and there is an opportunity to secure practices on board to avoid such spills. The effects of the spillage were mitigated when a crew member raised the alarm. The response to the spill by Sanford and the vessel's crew was immediate and the reaction was efficient and complete. Although the incorrect dispersant was initially used that was an aberration in an otherwise fully co-operative process, and the response and the reaction was by and large exemplary. It was estimated the response was successful in recovering more than 90 per cent of the contaminant oil. Under the Resource Management Act, the maximum penalty for such an offence was $600,000, but the judge started from a base fine of $60,000 contingent on the early guilty plea, and lowered the fine to $30,000 because of the quick response effort. The fine was shared between Juahm Industries ($22,500) and Sanford ($7500). PPMH received a conviction, but was not fined. Sanford New Zealand has taken steps to ensure it would not happen again.