Three Injured in Boiler Explosion on Bulker in New Zealand

 

Maritime investigators in New Zealand are probing an incident in which three crewmembers were seriously injured after an explosion occurred aboard a bulk carrier at the country’s South Port.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) is reporting that it has initiated investigations of an engine room explosion on the bulker Olivia that occurred on May 24 while the vessel was berthed at South Port, Bluff.

The 180-meter bulk carrier departed the Port of Bintulu in Malaysia on March 25, arriving in Bluff on April 22.

Shipping data at South Port shows Olivia was moored at berth 11 where she was loading a cargo of logs. She was slated to depart the port on May 29.

“The reported circumstances were that three crew members onboard the M.V. Olivia were working on a boiler in the engine room. During this process, there was an explosion or flashback, causing injury to the three crew members,” said TAIC in a statement.

The agency added that it is treating the incident as a ‘serious marine casualty’ as required under the International Maritime Organization’s Casualty Investigation Code, with an investigation already underway.

Though TAIC did not provide details on the incident in one of New Zealand’s leading ports in bulk cargo handling, media reports indicate that the St John Ambulance responded after the incident. The St John team assessed and treated the three crewmembers, one of whom was in a moderate condition and the other two in a serious condition.

Built in 2013 at Nanyang Ship Engineering - Jiangmen in China, the Olivia sails under the flag of Malta.

South Port is the southernmost commercial port in New Zealand and handles more than 3.2 million tonnes of cargo annually. During the half year ending December 31, 2024, the deep-water port recorded 131 calls by large vessels.