It is unclear what caused a throttle cable to come loose and send a Monarch Wildlife Cruises and Tours boat reversing into a cliff earlier this week, a company director says.
MV Monarch was carrying 14 passengers when it hit a cliff in Lighthouse Bay while in reverse idle during a trip around Taiaroa Head on Monday afternoon, director Neil Harraway said.
The collision damaged the boat's roof, bending and breaking it in some places, although Monarch did not sustain any major damage, he said.‘‘There's been no damage to anything vital.
‘‘All the running gear - the hull, the rudder and the prop - is all fine.''
The roof was made from plywood and fibreglass and was supported by metal bars, Mr Harraway said. Some of those bars were also damaged.
The boat had been out of action for repairs since the incident, but Mr Harraway hoped it would be back in the water tomorrow. The cost of repairs was not known.
The boat had a capacity of 60 but usually carried about 40 passengers on its trips.
A smaller boat, with a capacity of 19, was being used in the meantime, Mr Harraway said. That had been carrying 15 passengers per trip.
The throttle cable was regularly checked and maintained and an internal investigation would be held into what caused it to come loose, he said.
‘‘We'll be discussing how to prevent any recurrence.''
Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) was alerted to the incident on Tuesday and subsequently contacted the company.
Mr Harraway said the company had been in the process of reporting the incident to MNZ when it was contacted and had been within the timeframe for doing so.
That timeframe was as soon as was practical.
‘‘We had to assess damage and do an incident report,'' Mr Harraway said.
MNZ senior media and communications adviser Vince Cholewa said an officer spoke to the company after it was advised about the incident by the Otago Daily Times.
MNZ's initial inquiry revealed the Monarch was in slow reverse when it hit overhanging rocks.
‘‘The information provided is still to be assessed and what, if any, further action Maritime NZ might take has not been decided,'' Mr Cholewa said.
