Seabourn Encore Collides with Berthed Vessel

Accident investigators are heading to Akaroa in New Zealand to investigate a collision between a luxury cruise liner and a cement carrier.

News ID: 72310

Date: 13 February 2017 - 15:19

According to MANA, the 41,900-gt Seabourne Encore (built 2016) broke its mooring lines on Sunday morning in Port Timaru and collided with the berthed 8,465-dwt Milburn Carrier II (built 1987).

Lead investigator Captain Martin Harper said they would spend the afternoon gathering information, before disembarking this evening and then travelling to Port Timaru.

“We need to understand the circumstances and causes surrounding this accident so lessons learned can be passed to the transport sector,” he told The New Zealand Herald newspaper.

Reports say the incident took place in bad weather and strong winds which caused the cruise lines aft mooring lines to break.

“Seabourn Encore was inspected and cleared to sail by authorities and departed for its next scheduled port call in Akaroa, New Zealand,” Seabourn said in a statement.