Engine failure stranded for nearly a month! FeederTech is still stuck in New Zealand!

FeederTech stranded in New Zealand for almost a month due to engine failure

Business Dialogue has learned that ongoing engine failure has left the Feedertech ship, Shiling, stranded outside Wellington, New Zealand for nearly a month.

On May 12th, the 5,117 TEU Shiling, built in 2005, sent out a distress signal at 11am local time, approximately 22 nautical miles northwest of Farewell Spit. The 24 crew members reported that the ship had lost power and was uncontrollably turning in rough seas, and they were preparing to abandon ship. A tugboat was dispatched from Taranaki to stabilize the vessel and arrived at the ship’s location nearly six hours later.

The New Zealand Rescue Coordination Centre put rescue helicopters and coastguard vessels on standby, but the sea conditions improved, and the captain of Shiling expressed willingness to remain on board.

At 4:30 pm that day, Shiling was connected to the tugboat Skandi Emerald and towed 15 nautical miles east of Farewell Spit.

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Since April 15th, Shiling has been hovering near Wellington after being stranded outside the port. Two tugboats helped tow Shiling to the Aotea Wharf in Wellington, where it has remained. The vessel, which flies the Singaporean flag, was purchased second-hand by Feedertech early last year and was assigned to connect New Zealand with the ports of Singapore and Port Klang, Malaysia.

An inspection by Maritime NZ revealed concerns about the ship’s reliability, preventing Shiling from moving forward. Maritime NZ has previously noted that Shiling experienced three separate failures in Wellington within one year, occurring on different occasions, after leaving Auckland on April 12th. In July of last year, Shiling had engine trouble in Wellington, which took several days to repair. On February 11th, the ship’s engine also briefly stopped in Wellington, but this did not stop the vessel’s movement.

On May 14th, the Shiling was towed to Tasman Bay, and Feedertech is working to confirm a suitable location where the vessel can safely anchor or berth. Due to its size and current location, Feedertech’s agents contacted CentrePort in Wellington.

As of May 15th, the Shiling is still stranded in Tasman Bay.

Maritime NZ stated today that the next potential weather window to move the Shiling will be on Friday, as it must be ensured that the relocation can be safely completed. The cost of moving the vessel is managed by the Shiling’s shipowner and their insurance company.

BusinessDialogue understands that Feedertech was acquired by Unifeeder, a subsidiary of DP World, in December 2019.

Editor ✎ Estella/BusinessDialogue

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