Ian McLean Green candidate for Tauranga

Another boat on our rocks and more of the same prevarication from our government.

The Schelde Trader, an 8000 tonne general cargo vessel, hit the North rocks off Mauao last week. Why, given that the pilot was actually aboard this time? Answer: loss of power and therefore loss of steerage. At least it was a gentle hit this time.

She came to Tauranga from Auckland to take on bunker oil before heading for Noumea. Curious, as most of us wouldn't go to Rotorua for fuel when on the way to Auckland. But apparently ships do that quite regularly.

At least the mayor had the grace to wonder if there was something wrong with our coastal shipping management and to ‘demand answers'. Those answers were along the lines of:
'This sort of thing happens quite regularly.”

'It's no big deal. There was no mess, so why the fuss.”
'This was different, because... (you fill in the gaps here).”
Just when will those in charge of coastal shipping actually address the causes of these accidents?

Of course, it is not the accident itself that we need them to give attention to. It is the prospect of an accident or, more directly, the risk management systems that prevent those accidents.
The Rena was set on course for our reef around 1993, when coastal shipping was deregulated. It may have taken 18 years for her to get here, but she was predicted at the time and they were right.

We need coastal shipping, so our only option is to minimise the risk of Rena events.

The solutions? Let's raise maintenance and inspection standards to ensure that all ships plying our waters comply.

Even better, let's return to an age of locally owned ships that use properly trained Kiwi crews who actually care about and know our waters.