Singapore-registered container ship towed to shore after losing power off New Zealand
The Shiling container vessel, formerly known as the Octavia, pictured in November 2016. (Photo: Jerzy Nowak/vesseltracker.com)
SINGAPORE: A Singapore-registered container ship that lost power off New Zealand has been towed to shore, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Friday (May 12).
The vessel, named Shiling, had requested assistance from the Maritime New Zealand authority around 4.30am Singapore time on Friday.
This was after the ship's main engine failed and it started drifting in "heavy swells" about 22 nautical miles (41km) north-west of Farewell Spit, which lies in Golden Bay near the tip of New Zealand's South Island, said MPA in a release.
At 7am Singapore time, Shiling put out a mayday call, according to a Facebook post by Maritime New Zealand, which noted that there were 24 crew on board and no risk of the vessel running aground.
New Zealand's national search and rescue organisation, Rescue Coordination Centre NZ, then coordinated a response plan.
Maritime New Zealand said the Shiling's master told them the crew were comfortable staying on the vessel and that the cargo was secure.
A tug boat arrived on scene and connected to the container vessel close to 1pm Singapore time.
"Shiling has since been towed safely by a tug arranged by New Zealand authority to Golden Bay for further assessment and repair," said MPA on Friday evening.
"MPA is investigating the cause of this incident and rendering necessary assistance to the ship manager and the ship master."
According to the New Zealand Herald newspaper, this was the fourth incident in the country's waters involving the Shiling, in less than a year.
It broke down last month in Wellington's main shipping channel, after suffering engine stoppage in the capital's harbour in February and an engine failure in July 2022.
