Maritime New Zealand investigators will determine what went wrong when a container ship hit the Beach St Wharf at Port Chalmers during a standard berthing procedure at Port Otago on Thursday.
A container vessel contracted to shipping giant Maersk has been left waiting for repairs to a gaping 5m hole in its side, as a result of the incident.
Maersk New Zealand chief executive Julian Bevis said it was too early to determine the financial implications of the incident and the expected delays involved with repairing the ship.
The vessel and cargo were both fully insured, he said.
Discussions with the captain of Maersk Dabou and Port Otago authorities had been carried out and the incident was being investigated by Maritime NZ, which would report their findings in due course, Mr Bevis said.
There were no injuries to any of the crew and no damage to any cargo. Unloading of the container ship had been completed on schedule, a Maersk spokesman said.
Port Otago chief executive Geoff Plunket declined to comment on the incident and referred all questions to Maersk, pending Maritime NZ's investigation. Preliminary surveys of the vessel had been completed by engineers and repairs were expected to take three to five days, the Maersk spokesman said.
Export loading was on hold until the completion of repairs and cargo destined for Europe, Asia, and the Middle East may be delayed by up to a week in reaching its final destination.
