Transport Accident Investigation Commission investigator Rob Thompson says the organisation's initial report into the Rena disaster is now expected in February.
He says the preliminary report will just cover the facts.
Marinetraffic.com tracks the movements of vessels around the world. This screen-grab shows the final path of the Rena before it hit the Astrolabe Reef.
'It's an interim report, it's basically the information we can verify with no analysis or discussion,” says Rob.
'It's basically the timeline and information about the vessel itself.”
The full report, including any TAIC safety recommendations arising from the investigation, is not expected before July, and is more likely to be released in October.
The 236m container ship Rena struck Astrolabe Reef in the early hours of October 5 while travelling at about 17 knots.
Previously released AIS tracking records show the ship made several course changes after rounding East Cape.
The ship's captain and navigational officer have been charged in relation to the grounding, and also with perverting the course of justice in relation to the incident.
They are both on bail and are next expected back in court on February 29.
The additional charges laid on December 20 allege the men altered ship documents subsequent to the Rena's grounding.
The Rena's master faces four charges and the navigation officer three charges, with each charge carrying a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment.
The men are also charged under the Maritime Transport Act 1994 for operating a vessel in a manner likely to cause danger, and under the Resource Management Act 1991 for discharging a contaminant.
The RMA charge is under section 338 (1B) and (15B) relates to the ‘discharge of harmful substances from ships or offshore installations'.
It carries a maximum penalty of a fine of $300,000, or two years imprisonment, and $10,000 for every day the offending continues.
They also both face one charge each under section 65 of the MTA ‘for operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk'.
These charges carry a maximum penalty of $10,000 or a maximum term of imprisonment of 12 months.
1 comment
Hurry up
Posted on 12-01-2012 13:52 | By Justintime
Why does it take 4 months to release a report on the facts, and up to a year (or more as previous experience shows) to provide a full report on this or any other incident? As a former Deck Officer and now a marine surveyor, I fail to see how this can be made so longwinded, just like most of their reports which often use big words to try and baffle us with B/S. Surely, safety recommendations need to come out sooner rather than later.
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