Posted: 18 May 2006
'See and be seen’ boaties urged after near-miss
A near-miss in which a 4500 tonne cement carrier almost mowed down two boaties in a small, unlit dinghy has prompted a safety warning from Northland’s Regional Harbourmaster.
Ian Niblock, of the Northland Regional Council, says the two boaties owe their recent lucky escape to the professionalism of the officers and crew of the cement carrier M.V. Golden Bay.
He says the duo was anchored in the middle of Whangarei Harbour’s Portland Channel on a small, unlit fibreglass runabout that the MV. Golden Bay’s equipment had not registered as a radar target.
“The cement carrier’s crew spotted the dinghy at the last minute and it was only the practice of good navigation procedures on board the cement carrier that avoided a collision between the two vessels.”
Mr Niblock says too many Northland boaties are placing themselves - and others - at unnecessary risk of injury, or even death, by travelling the region’s harbours without navigation lights.
“These thoughtless boaties are placing themselves and others at risk by ignoring one of the most fundamental rules of navigation – ‘see and be seen’.”
He says navigation lights are an essential part of a boat’s safety equipment, yet the Regional Council has been receiving an increasing number of complaints about boats navigating at night without them.
“Ignorance is probably to blame for the majority of these incidents.”
Mr Niblock says and information on the correct lights for a particular size and type of vessel is readily available in ‘Safe Boating’ an essential guide that can be downloaded from the Maritime New Zealand website or obtained from any Northland Regional Council office.
Maritime New Zealand website:
www.maritimenz.govt.nz/publications/Recreational/SBEG05.pdf
Mr Niblock says there are penalties for boaties who do not comply with navigation rules by failing to display navigation lights at night or when the visibility is restricted by fog or rain.
“But the Regional Council’s overriding concern is that someone could be injured or even killed.”
He urges people navigating in Northland waters to take the time to familiarise themselves with the requirements for navigation lights for their boat and to make sure those lights are fitted and switched on at night.