Did Human Error Lead to the Loss of HMNZS Manawanui? Court Of Inquiry Reveals Its Interim Findings

[@26betsam]

Retired airline/USAF pilot here. One of the big lessons that got pounded in ones head early on was if the airplane's not doing what you want it to do turn the auto pilot off. Manually fly the airplane. May have saved the ship.

[@christopherclayton8577]

This rings true.

[@k53847]

Children of the Magenta Line. "Automation dependent crews, lacking confidence in their own ability to fly an airplane, are turning to the autopilot in an attempt to resolve a deteriorating situation and instead of saving them the autopilot kills them."

[@wyldhowl2821]

Yeah, gotta train that into every scenario until it is almost a reflex.

[@ralphebrandt]

Turning off an automated system woudl have saved a lot of lives and 2 737 max

[@SteamCrane]

​@@k53847 Series of lectures by the late Captain Warren VanderBurgh, American Airlines. Informative and entertaining.

[@MAGAeminem]

10 minutes is a LONG time to not realize the ship is on autopilot

[@zaffo757]

The Port Royal crew concurs.

[@ibubezi7685]

Watching 'Air crash Investigation/ Mayday', 'it happens'.... I don't understand why there is no (better) feedback that AP is on - other than some minor indicator-light in that overcrowded panel. Why not sound an alarm if someone tries to manually override the AP - asking for confirmation? Same on this ship, it seems. Not a pilot, not an engineer - just asking 'the obvious' (to me.....).

[@syjiang]

@@ibubezi7685 Human-machine interface is one of the most challenging problem to tackle. A lot of these issue identified, while seemingly obvious, are after the facts and hard to identify beforehand. Both Airbus and Boeing have audio/visual alerts for when autopilot switch off. However depending how it is implemented or the cognitive load on the pilot at the moment of the alert, the pilots could be overwhelmed and not processed the alert in their head despite seeing and hearing it. There are no confirmation step to avoid delay in surrendering manual control to the aviator during emergency, but both manufacturers produces audible alert and visual indicators that AP is turned off when pilot manipulates control.

[@MerchantMarineGuy]

How many hours of HR training did the crew receive compared to shiphandling and familiarization prior to the accident?

[@Islandwaterjet]

@@MerchantMarineGuy We can be sure there is a unlimited DEI budget. Always is.

[@AdBass59]

I worked as Captain of a cable ship stationed in Samoa for 2 years very close to where this occurred. I worked in close proximity to the reefs in Samoa and other Islands in the region. We used Dynamic Positioning when working in close proximity to the reefs and navigational hazards. We also had higher manning levels and ran in manual steering when in close proximity and not using DP. The reason for this was precisely to prevent incidents like this. Also, when working in close proximity to hazards we would do so at slower speeds so that if something would happen reaction time is extended. These are just a few examples of what sort of things should have been in this vessel's standing orders and operational directives. Realize also, that commercial vessels operate with far fewer personnel resources than naval vessels. It does not appear that the proximity to hazards was factored into how that vessel was operated.

[@stewatparkpark2933]

Would the Captain be on the bridge when operating this close to reef and shore ?

[@AdBass59]

@@stewatparkpark2933 Not necessarily, because on an extended project the captain cannot be there 24 hours a day. That being said there should have been procedures in place for those sorts of conditions, with detailed standing orders, and night orders spelling out what measures to take, when they are to be implemented, and when to call for assistance. They usual include words similar to "Call me any time you need assistance, or you are in doubt".

[@terrybrown8539]

@@AdBass59 Looking at the captain's disclosed recent naval record I remain surprised that she would have this very senior command in a small navy - this is a complex vessel requiring very high standards of command and control. This apparent lack of understanding in respect of control functions mimics the recent ferry grounding incident where a NZ crew didn't know how to turn off the autopilot. This is a concern - I expect crews at this level to know their roles and how their vessel is controlled yet a potentially casual approach to seamanship appears to be a factor in both incidents. Minister Collins won't need to admonish me as I'm asking questions rather than making statements.

[@AdBass59]

@@terrybrown8539 A lot of modern commercial vessels are like this. On some that I have worked on we have attempted to reduce the chance for errors by composing well thought out instruction cards, having them laminated, and posting them near the control stations for how to engage propulsion, steering and how to switch from Manual Operation Mode, DP Mode and Autopilot Mode, as well as transferring between stations. On some vessels, switching modes or stations may require you to disable and re-enable thrusters, or they may need to be facing a certain direction, or transfer may not occur if the control levers are positioned for any amount of thrust at all. I find myself reviewing these instruction cards frequently just to keep them fresh in my mind. And of course, every vessel is different so what you have learned on one vessel may not necessarily apply to another one, even of the same class. In other words, the button pushing sequence might be slightly different. I worked on one vessel that had a fwd console and a steering console. If one transferred control between these two stations with the autopilot engaged, it could not be disengaged from the other station. it had to be transferred back to the station where command was initiated. This was later fixed. Until it was corrected, we had to post a sign warning about this and instruct all watch officers to disengage the autopilot when transferring stations. The moral of the story is that watch officers should drill and practice transferring stations and control modes and be familiar with the individual characteristics of their vessel. Also, when doing this in close quarters or near hazards the vessel should be slowed or even stopped in the event that any issues arise.

[@philipoakley5498]

@@AdBass59 Good points about how moding changes can get very complicated, and how easy it is to blame the operator rather than the designer and lack of human factors / failure mode input to the design.

[@ShaighJosephson]

This is a result of putting administrative personel in charge of a ship with no experience... The incompetence of this decision goes straight to the top... 💥

[@robcompton5034]

DEI hire $100 million disaster

[@marclandreville6367]

AFAIK, she had been a tactical systems commander on a RN warship. A bit more than qualified than an office pencil pusher. However, no bridge experience it seems, before being assigned master of this ship. I agree, a $100 million DEI disaster. Amazing that there were no RNZN naval officers qualified for the job, whereupon they had to look at someone in the UK. Directly her fault, as the captain is always responsible but really, a policy blunder on the part of NZ politicians, who are pushing this nonsense.

[@SkandiaAUS]

​@@robcompton5034 calling it DEI is lazy and won't solve anything. It also shows what a stupid dickhead you are, added bonus.

[@butchphillips873]

@@marclandreville6367 What were the "tactical systems commander" system experience on the RN warship?

[@GreyDingo]

Absolutely.

[@erikwigelandiestad2270]

The fact that an incident report doesn’t specify the commander when the incident happened is all I need to know

[@heinzriemann3213]

Yup

[@allisshop8092]

Saving face. This incompetence starts at the very top of the chain of command. Every effort will be made to hide that fact from the citizens. Sweep it quickly under the rug and move on.

[@stephenmelton2532]

KZbin has to be one of the greatest inventions in human history. I live in Colorado and don’t know anyone in the maritime industry. I might meet one person like Sal in my lifetime but I can sit here and pick Sal’s mind a couple times a week. Awesome!

[@ralphebrandt]

I would second that. Sal is one of the more dybamic speakers of the ones I watch regularly, i look for people who have cracked a few eggs (done something) and watch them. Some of them are not impressive speakers, one in particular I am thinking of but knows a ton about soil and rock foundation work is Casey Jones. One is a gal who fixes small engine items. Sal and one he mentions here, Captain M?? are the best i have seen on maratime. They both have their areas of expertise and stay well in them.

[@wgowshipping]

Thank you so much!

[@Inkling777]

I agree 100%. The source material on KZbin varies from awful to marvelous, but we have a choice which we watch. Choose well, and the result is far better than the manicured, teleprompter readers on network television.

[@moleisrich1]

Hello Sal, good show!

[@ralphebrandt]

@@Inkling777 Amen.

[@kevinbarry71]

A series of human errors. That is a nice way of saying, staggering incompetence. Or, putting people in charge who have no business being there

[@lyricallyunwaxable1234]

Yep. Ask the lying horse who blessed the ship

[@jasperhorace7147]

@@lyricallyunwaxable1234 The cowardly one who bolted leaving us all these problems?

[@RamonInNZ]

If that is the case it would then aim the issues above the crew of the ship. I believe there is a problem in our Navy which is also acerbated by lack of budget - not buying a full navigation suite intended for this style of ship. May be the bridge offices and captain are going to wear this one

[@RamonInNZ]

@@lyricallyunwaxable1234 ???

[@drphilgee6430]

She was busy getting her nails done ok...

[@redjacc7581]

The only question that needs to be answered is WHY did no one know that the auto pilot wasnt switched off?

[@ThatOpalGuy]

because it is ALWAYS someone else's responsibility.

[@johnmarks227]

And they made two previous turns.

[@SerendipityChild]

Hopefully the answer will result in a more human-centric design of this kind of control panel. It should have been obvious, not something that had to be figured out. When you're headed straight at a reef you don't need to be solving a puzzle. For example, all the lights change colour when you're manual vs auto. Or, when the asipods are locked, the asipod knobs should physically lock too. There could be an error sound when the controls are moved but the autopilot is on. It could literally say "autopilot engaged", or a ! Sound and a light flashing next to "autopilot engaged".

[@ibubezi7685]

@@SerendipityChild Your and my comment..... 'serendipity'!

[@SerendipityChild]

@@ibubezi7685 haha. Very good

[@paulellison-np3lx]

Here is some background. NZ sent out a request for quotation (I think in 2015) for a bespoke design and build before they bought this particular ship. The project was called LOSC and I was involved in designing a ship to the RNZN requirement. There were a couple of things that stand out in my memory about the project. The first was the confusion in the requirements for damage stability between a commercial standard and a defence standard, with the defence standard being more onerous. The RNZN prefered the latter because it aligned with their damage control philosophy but it was incompatible with their desire for a commercial ship design on cost grounds. The second was concerning the Bridge system, the requirement was pushing for DP3 with DP2 being a minimum. I had a problem with the interpretation of this. The bridge system proposed which judging from what I have seen so far is the same as the ill fated HMNZS Mananawaui is not compatible with normal Naval bridge operation. I raised this at the time and had a massive argument with the lead engineer. During the design development our team went to Norway and I was able to play with the bridge simulator in an attempt to allay my fears. Shortly afterwards NZ decided to buy a second hand vessel and our invovement in the project stopped. The reason for this was obvious as a new build ship to their requirement was too expensive. My concerns about the bridge operation really didn't change though. The design of these sort dynamic control bridges doesn't align with naval operating heirarchy, which tends to have a junior sailor on the helm and levers and a officer responsible for situational awareness standing back in supervision giving orders. As I suspected when I sat on the simulator the bridge was designed for the helmsman to have total control over all manouvering. So in Naval operating terms this means the Officer should sit on the helm or the junior sailor needs to have comprehensive training to control the ship. The RNZN is a very small Navy and this ship was unique in its operation. I don't think it would be a stretch of the imagination for someone to get confused when placed under pressure and once the first mistake was made the lack of familiarity led to compounding errors resulting in loss of control of the situation. Would the Naval damage stability standard made much difference once the vessel grounded? maybe, but we won't know until the full report is released.

[@SteamCrane]

This post from somebody involved in the design and selection needs to be elevated and pinned!

[@EdwardDiego0]

Insightful, thanks.

[@vr46go87]

This is the most insightful comment on this situation I have read out of many thousands of opinions from qualified persons and of course non-qualified. This submission absolutely nails the issue at hand. And if RNZN or Minister Collins spews forth some other diluted reasoning they are even more contemptible than I already think they are.

[@eldrago19]

Thanks for sharing this and not leaping to conclusions.

[@Ilikedevouringlittlekids]

Thank you for sharing

[@normanboyes4983]

Sal - you covered all the relevant points. One point I would add - they( had been successfully ‘mowing the lawn’ for a number of hours and IIRC ran the genesis of the problem (that lead to grounding) was 15 minutes after a watch change - suspect the competence of the new watch and maybe a poor handover from the offgoing watch. The RNZN are clearly in reputational protection mode - particularly the DEI angle so will likely go heavy on indicting the watch standers.

[@lawman5511]

My understanding is that during her 30 years career in the Royal Navy, she was mostly in administrative roles. Never commanding a ship. And RNZ Navy was more than delighted to take the aging Commander on board to give her first command. Hey, the ship isn’t turning. What should we do?

[@mariusvanc]

The very first thing you check on an airliner when it's not responding to manual inputs, is whether you're on autopilot.

[@kskeel1124]

They should have performed a powerful Haka dance to intimidate the ship into complying with their command inputs...

[@mediocreman2]

She would have done a great job commanding an Excel spreadsheet I bet.

[@geoffhoutman1557]

You should see her in meetings- world class!

[@shmayazuggot8558]

Was not in RNZ navy for that long, imported from the UK and promoted to Commodore faster than anyone else in RNZ history!!!

[@meofnz2320]

Eerily similar to the grounding of the NZ interisland ferry Awatere earlier this year. A waypoint sequence got mixed up and the crew didn’t know you had to hold the button down for five seconds to disconnect the AP. Oof…

[@0MoTheG]

Scary

[@CaptainJerry-]

I am a Hawes Piper. 95% of my licenesed time at sea was navigating survey vessels. Z-PODS, Wheel and Rudder, Variable pitch steering systems.I can't remember a time with any of these that I was not on the Iron Mike during a survey. Today's auto pilots on survey ships, no matter the steering surfaces, wil make your turns, follow the track line and compensate for set and drift. I was taught (also trained my mates and helm operators) to always check the auto pilot FIRST if you don't see the bow or compass swinging after a manual wheel/Z-POD input. The track that you showed in this video tells me someone wanted to try and manually steer the ship. After the turn to the west, they got so far off the next survey line that the auto pilot was engaged to regain the survey line. (You can tell this because of the different colors of the trackline showing the multi-beam sonar depth data). Also, when comming off auto pilot be sure the helm order is at 0 degrees so you don't have an unwanted turn. Continuing on 340T is the confusing part. Was it chow relief time and an improper turn over? Was the status board not updated? In the S. hemisphere it would have been dark.

[@mitchellvangrieken3900]

Do the pods act as a rudder, when you're making headway but have taken the power off? I.e is that a way to steer the ship in an emergency?

[@trelkel3805]

1800 is dinner time but it seems crazy that they would rotate during maneuvers like that.

[@CaptainJerry-]

@@mitchellvangrieken3900 No, The pods need thrust for steerage. One pod will work. Once way is less than 5 knots you can use tunnel bow thrusters.

[@mitchellvangrieken3900]

@@CaptainJerry- wow surprised that all redundancies need power.

[@robinwiddrington5765]

@@mitchellvangrieken3900 Most ships with Z drives or azipods have no rudders. You can rotate the pods with the propellers attached 360 degrees. Think of it as giant outboard motors. This system along with bow/tunnel thrusters are often used on survey/research vessels due to the ability for the vessel to have high maneuverability and station keeping in Dynamic position mode. Also means propellers can be turned facing fwd for very fast stopping.

[@simonmaney3438]

Thanks for the detailed breakdown. As a Kiwi, this is hugely embarrassing but it doesn't really make sense. NZ is a maritime nation that routinely does operations in difficult waters, and our navy are very well trained for this. This crew doesn't strike me as having the traditional thoroughness of naval training. The one thing I really don't understand is how they could alter course to 340, and then (incorrectly) lock it there!? They 'half' did what they needed to... doesn't make sense.

[@infinitejinpachi]

NZ navy is not "very well trained" lmao, none of our armed forces are we are a joke nation

[@Will_CH1]

The errors are obvious. A succession of wrong decisions. The question is, were there any good decisions in that series of incompetence? The errors didn't stop with the autopilot, the ship took 15 hours to sink, but was abandoned in 70 minutes. That tells me the ship was sinking so slowly that it just needed some damage control to be saved. The ship also caught fire after being abandoned, that tells me it was not properly secured in the 70 minutes. Such a rash decision to abandon seems panic driven. If the captain does not understand enough to know how to close some watertight doors and bung a few leaks, what errors were in the process that appointed an unqualified person to such an important ship? This enquiry is a sham that has not even scratched the surface. Blaming the autopilot and lack of training/understanding is simpletons logic. Chances are, a dozen good men could have saved this ship. I have this mental image of Kiwi sailors standing on the beach watching their ship sink for 15 hours.

[@Will_CH1]

@@SPIKESPIEGEL1969 She is the captain. She holds ultimate responsibility. She is fully at fault.

[@heinzriemann3213]

Pure sugarcoating by that guy. They didn't even apply the checklist.

[@charlesvane967]

Great video Sal. One quick point. The survey team onboard the vessel are part of the Hydrographic Branch of the RNZN. They carry out the survey tasks onboard the vessel, not civilians. The civilians who were onboard the vessel at the time of the incident were scientists/ technicans from the weather station on Raoul Island (Kermadec Islands) who had been uplifted from the island and were being taken back to NZ.The RNZN regularly services the Island with supplies and staff rotations.

[@wgowshipping]

Charles...thanks for the clarification.

[@myexpressways4106]

Thanks, Sal. You have informed us of so many aspects of this unique ship's mechanisms. Your explanations are clear and comprehensible for the layman and/or landlubbers who view your channel. Regardless of comments I have seen, you place no unwarrented blame until all relevant information is revealed. I appreciate the depth of your knowledge and the breadth of your wisdom.

[@wgowshipping]

Many thanks!

[@LaurenGlass-i7x]

All I can say is you really said it just right! He is all that and more. Thank you, Sal.

[@CaptainBanjo-fw4fq]

Agreed, thank you. Kept to the facts without going over your skis.

[@heinzriemann3213]

He's clearly biased toward sugarcoating it.

[@wgowshipping]

@heinzriemann3213 I disagree. There is too much we still don't know about what happened. The clear issue is that the crew was unprepared and unfamiliar with the autopilot system and that falls on the captain and those on the bridge.

[@mildandbitter]

In the commaders mini bio it states " Her role in maritime evaluation has seen her help "work up" ships and crews to peak efficiency " so she was meant to be good at this sort of thing.

[@allisshop8092]

Hiring by woke DEI not merit or skill.

[@mikespencer4922]

But she had never held a command of a vessel......?????

[@dennyb6768]

By "work up" they mean punishing any crew that may be using the wrong pronouns.

[@Mark-f9q6f]

Excellent analysis. No judgement. No bias. Just the facts. Sal would never make it as a politician or a newscaster.

[@cyrillawless]

It wasn’t errors it was incompetence

[@briansatchell2319]

And a * group* of Giggle Girls all Hugging each other?

[@ysesq]

totally dumb bridge crew led by a schoolteacher who couldnt steer straight.

[@rickastleysrevenge3258]

Dei

[@pgreen8531]

Total incompetence 😮😮

[@wolfscorogardens6098]

@@ysesq she wasn’t straight 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

[@bogenious8474]

Nice explanation , It`s a military ship , the buck stops with the Captain

[@ralphebrandt]

Used to be the captain went down with his ship.

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

That is a bit over simplistic. We don't even hold Joe Biden to that standard.

[@ralphebrandt]

@@WALTERBROADDUS We should

[@david7384]

​@@WALTERBROADDUSidiotic comment

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

@ralphebrandt well, Mr Ray-Ban is going to slide off into history back to Delaware. 😎

[@karlbrundage7472]

This is a huge black eye for the RNZ Navy. I was 19 years old when I qualified as Helmsman/Planesman aboard a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine. Edit: Some have assumed that I served in the Royal New Zeeland Navy and accused me of being a fabulist. I served in The United States Navy Submarine Force, where I was honored to participate in many operations of a classified nature in the course of my service. I hope that clears things up..... End Edit In order to get that qualification I had to be able to describe in detail all of the systems and components that were at work when I moved the ship's rudder, bow and stern planes. I had to be familiar with normal operation, emergency operation and last-resort operation. I also had to demonstrate proficiency in major casualties, such as an uncontrolled depth- excursion or loss of control of a dive plane or rudder, including both corrective actions and mitigating actions. That this crew had no idea of even what mode of operation they were in is horrifying. Heads need to roll...............

[@johnnykrauze]

Really, or did the crew let her control the ship in the way she saw fit.

[@DonaldAtherton-l7u]

100%

[@johneyton5452]

She'll probably get an award. This is nz we're talking about here.

[@Nikolai2s]

​@@johnnykrauze why would the captain intentionally ground her own ship? For one, the captain is almost never going to be the helmsman, or the "driver", controlling the ship. Much more likely, I think the bridge was left almost empty, with maybe a trainee or inexperienced crew member at the helm. When that helmsman raised the alarm that they could no longer control the ship, they probably did not accurately describe their previous actions or the state of the ship to the crew members coming to assist. Maybe there was only 2-3 qualified helmsmen onboard the ship in-total, maybe one of those was in the WC (head). 😂 Speculation, but seems a reasonable assumption to me. But still, to let the bridge crew get into this state in the first place, that's a big black mark on the captain. That is literally her job: to make sure qualified people are doing what they need to do aboard the ship.

[@kskeel1124]

The RNZ navy chose DEI instead of merit in its recruitment and officer corp...

[@anthonymiller3392]

Thanks!

[@gregcollins7602]

I live on the flatlands of the Llano Estacado of Texas. Its has been described as a sea of grass, flat and featureless as the ocean. Its 300+ miles to the sea. Why do i love this channel so much?

[@wgowshipping]

Thanks Greg!

[@steve1978ger]

Back in 2015, the offshore supply vessel "Red7 Alliance" ran into one of the lock gates in the Kiel Canal, putting the lock out of action for three weeks. The bridge crew got confused about the mode their azipod controls were set to - about what putting the azipod levers down means, when the levers are rotated by 180°. They intended to stop but accelerated into the lock gate.

[@kennethhanes5438]

That’s a control design failure the control you touch should literally tell you where it is at all times by design same reason you don’t turn a dial for your engines rpm, this is likely a auto pilot design failure you should be told if it’s on auto pilot at the controls

[@jackdeniston6150]

Thank you

[@davidboskett5581]

This came only months after a ferry in the Cook Strait ran aground because the crew did not know how to turn off the auto-pilot

[@bobosmith8012]

In the NZ Navy, as in most navies, there is a watch change at 1800, going from the first dog watch to the last dog watch, so this attempt at turning would have taken place 15 minutes into the new watch and may have been the first course change of the new watch. This raises questions about the handover of the watch and the briefing of the new watch given from the watch that was in charge from 1600 to 1800. There should have been a full change of bridge personnel at 1800, and the oncoming watch may not have been fully informed of the state of the ship, and it's steering settings.

[@bathyprobe]

Good point. I noticed that it happened during the dog watches. I was thinking it might explain a lack of experience on the bridge while people were eating (like a CO or XO) but only a few mins into turnover I could see something like auto pilot not getting mentioned/remembered… perhaps a junior at helm and a not so experienced OOW didn’t clue in. Still just a start of a chain of f-ups.

[@TaylorDrummer]

I’m a kiwi, and mate… it’s fucking embarrassing

[@68404]

I'm an Aussie mate, and we feel your pain too brother.

[@Malamus21]

As a norwegian I can somewhat sympathize with that. But I have to say that "our" accident a couple of years ago I think was worse xD

[@camb6176]

Reject DEI if you have any sanity.

[@Truth_Seeker_UK]

A DEI hire took out 11% of your Navy, id be pissed too.

[@AdelaideGuy1968]

How is it the NZ navey got a new submarine before us Aussies. LOL

[@johnofnz]

There was a checklist for the fault they thought they were experiencing, the first thing on that list was to check the autopilot - And they never consulted the checklist.

[@karlbrundage7472]

And in the US Navy (Submarine Force, at least) we literally took a dump using a checklist.

[@stewatparkpark2933]

They didn't know that there was a check list .

[@simonkevnorris]

They thought they knew better and didn't use the checklist.

[@batboy555]

​@karlbrundage7472 surface destroyer guy here. But my immediate and controlling actions were memorized. I liked to read it every watch too.

[@lyndellecoats8459]

Stupidity that's all

[@dingodog5677]

If they turned the autopilot off in the first turn, how, when and why did it get turned back on, only for the crew to forget it was on again?

[@dmitripogosian5084]

More of a question is not even the first turn, but who did they turn into 340, and then were able to what, put back autopiliot, forget about it, and be unable to get off 340 ?

[@davehall44]

Sounds like someone engaged the autopilot by mistake without informing the others .

[@Michael-lg4wz]

@@davehall44don’t they yell when they do an action at the helm? I find the whole situation ridiculous

[@SteamCrane]

I watched the 360 video from 5 years ago, when she was nearly ready, "Take a 360° Tour - HMNZS Manawanui - 8K". Conducted by the original captain. Really nice looking ship, moon pool, decompression chamber, ROV, the crane is heavy and can go deep. The scary part, 2 of the 4 diesels are "World leading green diesel electrics", and they normally operate the ship on just 2 engines. That calls into question whether the non-green engines would be maintained and available if the 2 green ones choked.

[@roberthuber7566]

So happy that you now have a podcast platform. I definitely enjoy listening while completing my daily tasks.

[@robinvonderwache6872]

What I find a bit strange is the fact that the autopilot is not automaticly overruled by manual inputs from the thruster controls. Even when you are in autoposition at a oilrig in the northsea you must be able to panic input a new steering or thruster command while in auto. Even your cruisecontrol in your car will be cancelled by you pressing the brake. I bet something like this is implemented in the autopilot of the ship.

[@wyldhowl2821]

Or at least triggering a really loud obvious prompt telling crew members what mode they are in (and therefore why it does not respond). Anyways, see my other comment.

[@CaptainJerry-]

This is an old hold over from ruddered ships. If you kick off the auto pilot the rudder command from the wheel is inputted. If the wheel is hard over for some reason and you don't catch it, the ship will make a rapid unwanted turn.

[@Speargrass2015]

You take the vessel out of DP and go onto manual sticks or in this case turn off the autopilot. Very quick and simple its just a couple of buttons

[@2adamast]

I guess that's what happened, sailors thinking they could handle a ship because they can handle a car.

[@allisshop8092]

A crew with no clue and incompetent leadership starting at the very top of the chain of command. Fortunately New Zealand does not need a military since they do not have one.

[@un1r1gltd]

Hey Sal. the DGPS system on that vessel was very problematic. It never worked correctly since the re-commissioning to RNZN. There were also constant power loss problems. the containers on deck were aux generators to try and supply back up power to propulsion. It was a mash up of various systems and no surprise in the Navy that this accident happened.

[@SteamCrane]

Trying to be cheap is expensive. I wonder whether part of the problem was the replacement of the ship's original 4 diesels with Green Certified units (see the 360 degree ship's tour).

[@marclandreville6367]

If this were the case, and it was, it was up to the captain to acknowledge the issues, fix them and mitigate the rest. That wasn't done, obviously. there were more that one person on the bridge, and it wasn't the issue of a one person brain fart. The lack of training was systemic if nobody up there had a clue.

[@olliefoxx7165]

New Zealand spent $100 million dollars on a ship that needed extra generators just to maintain power?! How can they be so incompetent? There has to be some graft going on to put such a pos into service.

[@markyuresko1346]

@@SteamCraneoooh! That sounds quite stylish

[@gunt-her]

They overpaid for that vessel quite badly too, no excuses for things not to be working. The problem comes from the very top.

[@FrankBarnwell-xi8my]

Good afternoon Sal. Thanks for the NZ update.

[@TheBelrick]

NZ Government engaged in a conspiracy to coverup the true cause of the disaster. We know this because their first response was to shift all blame away from the captain and crew rather than telling the public that they are investigating. Governments need to fear public backlash lest this Evil continue

[@mikegallegos7]

I was US Navy and was once assigned to an incident review group and our focus was to first find and prove the path that led to the incident. It is a detailed, laborious, meticulous research efforts requiring long, long hours, hundreds of pages of documentation with citations, photos, depositions, witness interviews - it is an extensive and thorough process and usually thoroughly exhausting in methods and energy. Appreciate your videos; Thank you very much. edit: I realized I was not being clear as to what I meant to state in the above: I appreciate the detail you reveal through your professional thoroughness, Sir.

[@LilStoops]

Apparently disciplinary action is now about to applied. I wonder how holistic that will be, or will be some lowly male pleb that is most politically expedient.

[@donalddodson7365]

Thank you, Professor Sal! Great way to exercise my "little grey cells" as a retired safety and risk management professional. I am old! I get that! But, I suspect our exploding use of sophisticated vehicle/ vessel management is outstripping the old ways of training the human brain. (See "auto pilot," "driver assist," 737 Max, etc.) Building "muscle memory" for pilots, astronauts, combatants and first responders takes years of reenforcement. "Tech" is seen as "Brief it, play with it, now I got this." New shirt?

[@wgowshipping]

@@donalddodson7365 Thanks Don!

[@TheVagolfer]

An extremely well done analysis of this event. Liked and subscribed.

[@graemeridge]

thank you for clearing this up as we where not told much

[@PowhiroMus]

Very informative as usual Sal. A couple of points; 1. There was no mention of the captain being on the bridge at the time but civilian survey personnel were there, in the 22 hour survey. So changes of watch, changes of crew so close to land and reefs? 2. The ship was NZ's naval presence near Samoa when the Commonwealth Heads of Governments met in Samoa, including the new British king, so the ship's deployment added the opportunity to include a survey, presumably badly needed. NZ has maritime responsibility, primarily for search and rescue but also security (somewhat) over the very vast area of the South Pacific from island nations like Samoa down to Antarctica. Plus of course, if the British king is involved, naval, air and land assets would be involved. 3. I liked your description and detail of the azipod system and DPS, in particular the bow thrusters and the silent additional bow propulsion thruster. The Navy admiral mentioned the ship speeding up from the survey speed of 6 knots after the crew reversed the azipods, presumably by rotating the pods 180 degrees. So after this the ship surged to 10 knots, counterintuitive unless as the admiral stated, the Autopilot reacted to get the ship back into heading and correct set position by what? Deploying the bow propulsion pod at full power and denying the increased thrust ordered on the rear main azipods? It is simply mind-numbing what a SNAFU and demonstration of incompetence, poor training and poor judgement this was. Just so dumb! Very embarrassing for the Royal NZ Navy captained by a veteran former Royal Navy officer in front of the Commander of the Royal Navy, King Charles III, and the Leaders of all the Commonwealth countries of the former huge British Empire! Can you imagine the toasts in Navy bars around the World?

[@wgowshipping]

Excellent points. The issue about King Charles III was mentioned during the press conference and I referred to in my first video on the ship.

[@drphilgee6430]

Captain was busy getting her nails done...ok

[@allisshop8092]

Excellent observations.

[@whya2ndaccount]

Sal, Thanks for the update. I suspect those questions weren't asked in the press conference as most media outlets these days don't have a dedicated "Defence Correspondent" let alone a dedicated "Defence - Maritime Domain Correspondent". In a small country like NZ the reporters were probably covering Rugby yesterday and were then told to attend the press conference.

[@kevint1910]

naa they knew EXACTLY what questions NOT to ask in fact the prime minister came out right after the accident and made it clear any actual questions about the failures of command that contributed were not simply unwelcome but possibly criminal.

[@jimbo20104]

@@kevint1910 Any questions from the media about the CO would be instantly deemed as "misogyny and therefore dismissed. Trust me, the CO of this ship will be let off lightly and probably be given command of another ship."

[@newzild1]

As a New Zealand journalist and former defence reporter, I can assure Jimbo and Kevin that the journos present would have asked tough questions if they had the expertise to do so. However, the OP is correct in stating that journos these days don't have that expertise and are now 'generalists' because of the heavy cutbacks our industry has suffered in the past couple of years.

[@SaintKimbo]

Questions weren't asked in the press conference because the NZ media is more woke than the NZ navy.

[@paulcorrigan3753]

Excellent interview this (Tuesday) afternoon with Newstalk ZB, the New Zealand radio network. Thank you.

[@redraven1604]

As an ex Offshore & SAR helicopter pilot who’s landed on many a DSV, not knowing your AP’s in for 10 minutes is mind boggling.

[@jeronimo196]

Well, technically they didn't know until the investigation told them.

[@redraven1604]

@Well bugger me. You’re absolutely right. 😂

[@MikeShen11]

If memory serves me right, this is the second time in recent history that a New Zealand ship has run aground due to autopilot, unbelievable

[@paulmcneil9971]

Indeed, a Cook Strait ferry did something similar only a few months earlier. It had just returned to service after a refit including a new autopilot system I believe. Due to lack of training the crew did not know how to turn off the autopilot which had wrongly initiated a turn early. They hit the off button and nothing happened, not realising this button had to be held down for 5 seconds to disengage. At least the crew killed the ships speed so that the grounding was at low speed and the nature of the land was favourable. You have to wonder if the bridge crew did know about this incident but failed to recognise the similarities.

[@JeremySayers38]

Is autopilot another name for female captain DEI?

[@MissPerpul]

​​@@JeremySayers38Mummy issues much!?

[@HandSolitude]

They kept the captain of the Aratere ferry a secret. Could be another DEI hire?

[@julianprice1587]

​@@HandSolitudeactually we call that ship the Aratanic.

[@andrewmacdonald8076]

Thanks again for extensive analysis 🥝🇳🇿

[@johnjon1823]

I hear that captain is getting a new job at either Boeing, or Jaguar, the opportunities in the beer industry being rather limited at this point.

[@charlestoast4051]

Yup, DEI hiring doesn't work!

[@deragoth4250]

@@charlestoast4051 that captain has been in the field long before dei was a concept. Gender never seems to be an issue in other major accident eg evergiven in the Suez or any other major plane, train accident. Indeed if we take gender into account, males drivers are 4 times more likely to be involved in a fatal car accident than a female. Should we restricts male from driving or force them to undergo a more rigorous learning and testing course?

[@Bristolcentaurus]

@@deragoth4250 just ban motor vehicles they kill more people than guns

[@rickastleysrevenge3258]

@@DMPB-fi2irdo you know what a run-on sentence is?

[@DMPB-fi2ir]

@@rickastleysrevenge3258 whine whine whine ..

[@markazinker3212]

I have absolutely no idea what u are talking about but u explained this whole situation so thoroughly that I feel im an expert, great video, new here . VERY interesting!!

[@patrickshannon4854]

Whenever I wish to be realistically informed regarding naval matters, your channel is my automatic go-to just as with aviation it’s Blancolirio & Vasa aviation. Your videos are full of clearly explained technical matters easily understood by a layman.

[@PaulKerr-g7y]

According to DNV, the HMNZS Manawanui was still classed as DP class 2 when it sank (DNV DYNPOS-AUTR, DNV ID# 24192, DP3 in DYNPOS-AUTRO). DP2 vessels are designed and tested to confirm they can survive a loss of half the power or thrusters, and have more protection against technical faults. The DP control system is capable of using autotrack to trace a precise sailing pattern on its own. Of course, if the crew operated everything in manual and autopilot, and got confused about the two, there is nothing the disabled DP controls can do.

[@NavyDocHM3]

Sal- when crap hits the screws, you are the only dude I want at the helm. I appreciate your reporting, plus your candor and logic on these matters. I'm probably one of many who are “nautically challenged” and rely on you for legitimate feedback. Yes- I was a Navy Hospital Corpsman, but I never had the a honor of being onboard sea-going vessel - I was working with the USMC, so thank you! -Doc L., VA

[@NavyDocHM3]

@@brunonikodemski2420 Roger that!

[@JN-om6rw]

Another thing - you should never put a vessel into a situation where you cannot retreat from

[@bobcornford3637]

You'd never get into port

[@lyricallyunwaxable1234]

​@@bobcornford3637It tried to retreat from anemone attack but was sunk.

[@bealiveonpurpose]

Thank you for an excellent presentation that enabled a "landlubber" like myself understand the layout and control systems of modern ships 🙏

[@Offy69]

Hi Sal. My brother is ex RAN and I'm ex Marine engineering\Deep sea fishermen in NZ. We are both totally shocked at the lack of training and incompetency that lead to this disaster. We need a full overhaul from the top of the Navy down. For the Bridge crew to have limited understanding of the vessel controls is an embarrassment to New Zealand and the Navy..the oldest service in New Zealand.

[@olliefoxx7165]

Agreed. New Zealand is a seafaring nation. There's no excuse for not having well trained sailors. New Zealand has a long history of fine sailors. There is a core available from which to pull qualified people.

[@MichaelLaw-t1c]

​@@olliefoxx7165there was competent expertise available.however to fill theses roles they obviously didn't meet DEI criteria, ie. A female lesbian or gay transgender considering thier ethnicity and quota in accordence to thier diversity LGBTQ and any other alphabet letter you wish to have ,policy. The RNZN went WOKE, now it is BROKEN. They navy is accountable under the work place safety legislation. It will go all the way to the top Admirals and governing body.(refer ports of Auckland CEO conviction 12/2024)

[@seanodwyer4322]

@@MichaelLaw-t1c also crew were not expert Haka performers .

[@rednaughtstudios]

Minor quibble. RNZN only came into being in 1941 and before that there was the NZ squadron of the RN. So it could be argued the NZ Army is the senior service in NZ.

[@patrickshanley4466]

When a full report comes out I would be very interested in hearing your expert evaluation of the report.

[@bobcornford3637]

Incompetence by the bridge team, for which the Captain is responsible.

[@MervynPartin]

Thank you, Sal. I have been waiting for an update on this incident and you have answered quite a few "Why didn't they do...." questions that I had in mind. I was not aware that the vessel had azipods.

[@thechancellor3715]

Was waiting for this after reading the brief news article.

[@kimbryant-g7u]

My father ( a Pom ) worked for both the White Star Line and later Shaw Savill Line Travelled by ship a lot in my youth. I now live in New Zealand Sal. Thank you for the comprehensive detail in your reports. I have now forwarded this on to friends who are much better connected to NZ's political inner circles than I am. Hopefully this will lead to some astute questions that will bring the truth of this sinking to light. I understand more fully the term "the devil is in the detail'

[@348Tobico]

Sal, you always take the "confusing" and make it understandable to a layman like me. Very interesting subject. NZ needs a much larger stock of ships to fulfill the large jobs they undertake.

[@zaffo757]

The US Navy had similar issues with the USS McCain. Despite being prop and rudder…the management system that ran the props and rudders was an interface few helm watch standers understood…much less the rest of the bridge officers.

[@saltymonke3682]

No, very different case. In McCain, her GPS was spoofed, and the helm thought they were in the correct position.

[@SteamCrane]

​@@saltymonke3682 Source for this info? The NTSB report on one of those 2 destroyer collisions (maybe Fitzgerald) described the sequence of crew mistakes about which of several control stations had control.

[@saltymonke3682]

@SteamCrane you won't find it on the NTSB report, but in the Black Sea alone, before those 3 incidents in the same year, there were 20 GPS spoof related incidents. Loos lips sink ships.

[@pdxRetired]

Thanks for the explanations. I can see how better planning and training could have avoided the loss of the ship. Hopefully lessons are learned, not just by New Zealand, but by everyone that operates vessels like this.

[@JamesSmith-ui2hv]

Well this time New Zealand is a real ''example to the world '' as they incessantly claim

[@SteamCrane]

Probably not.

[@lrrp25]

Thank you for a clear assessment and for the remaining questions.

[@Everywhere2]

Illuminating and masterful.

[@JohnnyH5]

I remember when I was a Hydrographic Systems Operator (HSO) in the RAN and we would always have extra lookouts and staff on the bridge when surveying near reefs etc... and the CO was always on the bridge. Also we were never ever in autopilot in those conditions.

[@triskeliand]

Well done. I shall see if I can't share this with our local news team and get them to interview your fine self.

[@wolfemcgill6091]

Cheers from New Zealand and one in the marine industry. I enjoy a strait forward and honest report. Second question. Have you looked into the loss of FV Argoes Georgia in the south Atlantic this year? Longline fishing vessel went down, half of crew lost. Your research is top, could you have a look? I'll help anyway I can. Wolfe out

[@lukasvisagie9513]

The grounding of the InterIslander ferry Aratere in June 2024 also involved problems with the autopilot being in operation and the crew not realising it. Perhaps NZ seafarers need some extra training to help them come to grips with this automated stuff.

[@peterlloyd1434]

Great explanation of how the azipods work. Thanks.

[@wgowshipping]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tinacatharinaeden2711]

The explanation of azipods was first class. Thank you Sal. I always learn so much from your videos. ​@@wgowshipping

[@DavidSullivan-ot4or]

Excellent summary. Having spent many hours as Watch Officer and Captain in near coastal navigation, I can absolutely relate to the stress and rapidly disintegrating situation on the bridge. The RNZN Admiral hit the nail on the head. This is a training and bridge culture problem. Perhaps they were so used to operating in close proximity to navigational hazards, in this case the reef, that they became too comfortable. It will be interesting to hear the VDR recording.

[@austingtir]

Nope, they just put a DEI hire lesbian in charge. "The error occurred in translation of Te reo into lesbian , causing an entanglement of the tongue."

[@carlwaterman]

Thanks for an excellent video in the topic. One small remark: the vessel did not have an Azipod propulsion system. The material from the NZ Defence force: "A previous picture of the bridge described the thrusters as ‘Azipods’. This label was used incorrectly, and the correct term is ‘Azimuth’."

[@eecarolinee]

Pretty muddy information coming from the official sources. Feels like a lot of spin.

[@TheBelrick]

Because those screaming that this disaster was caused by DEI were right. Again. Every single time.

[@raylemon6111]

DEI . full stop.. idiot woke thinking

[@lyricallyunwaxable1234]

​@@raylemon6111NZ sent a man to the olympics as a woman. We were doomed

[@gildor8866]

Crew got the ship sunk by failing to follows basic protocols - if that is the spin, what are they hiding.

[@DaveG7920]

Who was on the bridge at the time would seem an obvious question to ask at the press conference, makes you think reporters were told what they could and couldn't ask.

[@LeEmperor]

Msm is well scripted in NZ.

[@newzild1]

Reporters would not have been told what they can and cannot ask. That doesn't happen in NZ. Journalist speaking here.

[@DaveG7920]

@@newzild1 That makes it even worse then, the standard of reporter is awful if they can't manage to ask basic questions. I'm not surprised though; I live in NZ and the media is hopeless.

[@heinzriemann3213]

​@@newzild1oh they don't need to be told. In Germany we call that "vorauseilender Gehorsam". It's not 2001 any more. We know how y'all operate.

[@greyjay9202]

Lack of training and experience, and that old problem of "deer in the headlights." People panic, freeze, lose situational awareness, and things go downhill very fast.

[@SerendipityChild]

There are ways to make control panels more human-centric. If it had told them, rather than having to work it out while the reef is coming at them .. that seems important. For example, all the buttons have lights change colour when you're manual vs auto. Or, when the asipods are locked, the asipod knobs should physically lock too, so you can't believe you've reversed them when you haven't. There could be an error sound when the controls are moved but the autopilot is on. It could literally say "autopilot engaged", or a ! sound and a light flashing next to "autopilot engaged".

[@Deontjie]

And they were racing at the reef at twenty kilometres an hour?

[@SerendipityChild]

@Deontjie from the video my understanding was .. when they couldn't turn, they attempted to reverse the isolpod engines and accelerate backwards. But the same control lock that prevented turning also prevented reversing the direction of the isopods (although didn't prevent acceleration)

[@Deontjie]

@@SerendipityChild Makes sense. But six knots are still pretty fast on a Saturday night, in the dark. In an area where there are reefs. Less then two km from an island.

[@SerendipityChild]

@Deontjie 22 hours into the survey you'd think they had the hang of it :/ I wonder if the investigation will bring out fatigue as an issue

[@michaelpether1331]

Soon after this occurred I read on social media that there had been a social media post by a crew member to the effect that the Captain was, at the time, otherwise occupied in non Naval entertainment (practising some sort of dance routine) the post was quickly taken down and never seen again. Is there any confirmation that the Captain was even on the bridge?

[@mattc.310]

Thanks for the update, professor. Many questions their Navy has to grapple with for their future.

[@peredavi]

Unconscionable to lose a vessel like that from such obvious incompetence.

[@wxx3]

Shouldn't the captain understand how to run the ship?

[@wgowshipping]

Not just the captain, but all the bridge watchstanders.

[@ThatOpalGuy]

we are getting a guy who doesnt know how to run a country. why should captains be any different?

[@zaffo757]

@@ThatOpalGuysuch a brilliant comment.

[@zaffo757]

@@wgowshippingbought a toy they didn’t understand. Same as the issues with the USS McCain

[@TheBelrick]

We see it in the corporate world. Put a toxic Karen in charge and the staff on down suffer as a result.

[@petermacaulay3919]

What must be taken into consideration is the actual hours of DP experience of the officers onboard. It takes years to reach a proficient standard with such sophisticated vessels. Also how much ship handling experience did the watch officers have? I feel the only place to get adequate experience of such DP systems is in the commercial sector.

[@wgowshipping]

Agreed

[@dmitripogosian5084]

Yes, it seems some modern ships almost require professional helmsmans like planes require professional pilots. While a Navy usually has seamen coming and go

[@australiainfelix7307]

Best explanation available.

[@Tokoa144]

Great breakdown of events buddy. I learned much from you than official presentation..

[@DeaconBlu]

Great vid Sal! Question… You state that the ships master was/is a 30yr RN veteran. In what capacity? Meaning, was she a Capt. or XO, or what? Simply because you were Royal Navy for 30 years doesn’t nessacarily make you qualified to command a vessel of Any kind. That’s just one of the many question I have about the incident. Just…wow!

[@nath9091]

Not an expert but thought Master and Captain were usually different things? As in the Master is an expert in the ships handling, sailing and navigation while the Captain is there to decide where the ship goes and the Master along with the pilot works out how to fulfil that order. But then again the Master designation might not exist anymore.

[@vissermatt1058]

he has made the vid that answers this question before. i dont want to put words in his mouth, but he did insinuate that she had a long career of not being a ships captain and this was a giant congratulations celebration to have a woman in charge of a boat

[@saltymonke3682]

Her last position in RN was PWO. Didn't have any idea if she was an XO first in the RNZN before this.

[@SteamCrane]

​@@nath9091 That was sailing ships. The Sailing Master advised the Captain about how to set the sails for best performance, and of times to add or shorten sail..

[@dulls8475]

@@nath9091 The master is the captain and visa versa.

[@ronobrien7187]

The caption says that the ship travelled 635 meters (400 yd) before grounding. Those numbers do not coincide. 635 meters is aprox 700 yds.

[@erpecom]

This sounds a bit like the sinking of HNoMS Helge Ingstad (2018). Trying to run a navy on the cheap but with grand aspirations is not a good idea. It often means that the equipment may be great but the training isn’t.

[@david7384]

yeah no amount of cash can fix diversity hiring you doof

[@MattC-ew1kr]

I was terrified when i first started to break in as QMOW and eventually started OOD on the 175 buoy tender. Impressive control system, but so much to keep track of and understand compared to older more traditional vessels. If I remember correctly, I was a real stickler whenever I would put Z-con into arbitration, to announce throughout the bridge that I was doing and what station I was shifting to. Every step, including announcing that I had control on the port or starboard station. It was more for my benefit than the bridge crew. Helped me keep track of what step I was on.

[@richardcorcorran8965]

Are there no lights or signals on bridge or warnings that would tell them thet the controls are in autopilot?

[@stevem048]

Great video Sal. I’m a little unclear how a trained crew would have such a poor understanding of their ships functions. It certainly seems like training was a major factor.

[@timkohchi2048]

a fantastic overview of this incident, thank you Sal.. it seems the default absolutely should be that an attempt to manually control the azipods should override the autopilot. if maintaining autopilot is mission critical and an accidental input to the manual control would be really bad, then an alarm or clear warning that overriding requires an additional action is minimum safe practice. this sounds very similar to the MCAS system failure on the 737 max, at least no one was hurt or killed. P.S. sound is even better, good work Sal!!!

[@k53847]

USS John McCain collision cause: "lack of effective operational oversight of the destroyer by the US Navy, which resulted in insufficient training and inadequate bridge operating procedures. Contributing to the accident were the John S McCain bridge team’s loss of situation awareness and failure to follow loss of steering emergency procedures, which included the requirement to inform nearby traffic of their perceived loss of steering."

[@natehendricksen3338]

Thanks Sal. It would be interesting to know if there have been recent staff changes on the crew as well.

[@rohanglenmartin]

Thanks for content like this. As someone not working in this industry it's always fascinating to get some insights as to... well everything shipping related.

[@jimbyars5991]

Thanks very informative,better than our local press and govt reports

[@SteamCrane]

In aviation, especially airliners, when you are on autopilot and start making control inputs, the autopilot kicks off with a loud warning sound. Why not here?

[@drew-qr1wd]

Great video. These are not complicated bridge controls IMO. Extremely common. I feel for the crew who are put in these positions with what must be a totally under done training program. One clarification: the st35 looks like a typical azi thruster not an azi pod? No material difference to the analysis either way

[@christopherglover8048]

Great factual reporting as usual, Sal!

[@minglim-pollard1167]

A most excellent synopopsis of the events of what led up to and evolved into a catastropic maritime disaster. It continues to be excruciatingly painful and embarrasing to bear witness to this entireity of this tragic loss and the unfolding series of sagas as the findings of the initial enquiry suggest. If one was to step back in time and list to port even so slightly and heed the ancient mariners lore then one could be forgiven for thinking that this ship had its fate sealed and the events that occoured upon the reef in Samoa were set in motion well in advance of the ship leaving the NZ naval docks. Your extensive and practical knowledge is evident of exactly how the dynamics of a ships controling systems have been designed to operate and the logical steps required to mitigate situations when high risk presents were very revealing, your fairness to the situation, wisdom, time and maritime knowledge is very much appreciated.

[@jeffgaskell3705]

So many possibilities. They could have been using the Autopilot mode in the DP System, or the regular ships Autopilot. It requires a good bit of vessel specific training to switch between systems and different consoles on the Bridge.

[@wgowshipping]

Agreed. They just did not provide enough info to be sure.

[@meli66ajg]

Great explanation; thanks!

[@cynthiacarter9055]

When I saw there had been a news release I was excited to see what you'd say. This video taught me a lot more than just listening to the presser would have, particularly since I am not familiar with ships like this one. It is sad for the Samoans to have a wreck leaking fuel on one of their reefs, and for the New Zealanders whose national investment is now completely (ahem) sunk and wasted. It sounds like some folks need to suffer real consequences for this mess.

[@Strategy_Analysis]

Excellent briefing. Well explained for someone like me not familiar with ship navigation and steering. Thank you.

[@R3dp055um]

GREAT video, Sal. Very well done. Any way you slice it, this was a failure of basic ship handling skills, and there is no excuse for that. None. Ever.