Ship’s tangled lines damage port stanchion

The damaged stanchion at Port Otago’s wharf following the visit of the Ovation of the Seas,...
The damaged stanchion at Port Otago’s wharf following the visit of the Ovation of the Seas, during high winds. Photo: supplied.
Minor damage was caused to a wharf-side stanchion on Port Otago’s Beach St wharf after mooring lines from the cruise ship Ovation of the Seas became entangled on Thursday.

The new $US1 billion Ovation is the largest cruise ship to ply New Zealand’s waters and the high-sided vessel, which carries up to 6400 passengers and crew, is susceptible to high winds.

In preparation for the newer, larger class of cruise ships, Port Otago last year replaced its 1960s-built bollards, capable of holding 80 tonnes, with six new bollards, which could each hold 150 tonnes. The project cost less than $200,000.

Port Otago chief executive Geoff Plunket said the new bollards worked well and were not damaged, but the stanchion in front of A shed, which is not part of the mooring system, was damaged by the Ovation’s mooring lines.

"The stanchion has been damaged by the ship’s lines, which is a minor issue. The stanchion’s slightly in the wrong place and will need to be moved," Mr Plunket said.

The stanchion prevents trucks or forklifts from running into the bollard.

Mr Plunket said to assist keeping the Ovation against the wharf during high winds on Thursday, it operated its stern thruster, but had opted not to use its bow thruster, instead relying on one of Port Otago’s tugs to nose up against its port-side bow to help keep it in place.

"Its thrusters are about five times more powerful than the tug," Mr Plunket quipped.

Cruise ships’ use of bow thrusters while alongside was "common-place", and the smaller Celebrity Soltice cruise ship, moored opposite the Ovation on Thursday at the multi-purpose berth, had used both her thrusters while in Port Chalmers, Mr Plunket said.

The Ovation’s departure was held up for about four hours because of the high winds and it got away about 9pm.

Add a Comment