Shiling cargo ship being towed to Wellington, 25-hour voyage ahead

The beleaguered MV Shiling cargo ship is finally being towed to Wellington – a voyage which could take up to 25 hours.

The vessel lost power 22 nautical miles from Farewell Spit and issued a mayday call on May 12.

An oceangoing tug from Port Taranaki, Skandi Emerald, was dispatched and safely secured the troubled vessel which has been anchored at Tasman Bay ever since.

Maritime New Zealand confirmed in a statement this morning that towage of Shiling to Wellington by the Skandi Emerald is now under way.

It is expected to take between 20 to 25 hours to get the vessel from its current location to the capital.

A 500 metre exclusion zone is in place around the towage operation for the journey.

Multiple helicopters and a Defence Force Hercules were sent to Shiling’s mayday call. The 294m vessel was drifting in rolling seas.

The 24 crew members had been preparing to abandon ship but ended up staying on board.

Incident controller David Billington said Maritime New Zealand will closely monitor Shiling.

“If there are future issues with the vessel, we will manage those if and when they arise.

“The owners of the Skandi Emerald are working closely with the owners of the Shiling about the ongoing support the tug will provide.”

Billington said the owners and insurers were working to ensure the correct level of support will be available, so the vessel can transit back to Singapore.

Shiling’s mayday call is the fourth incident involving the ship that New Zealand authorities have dealt with in the past year.

Shiling recently lost power in April when it was leaving Wellington Harbour.

Repairs were required to the ship’s generators and main engine; however, permanent repairs could not be done in New Zealand.

Temporary repairs were completed to a standard thought to give Shiling sufficient engine power to sail to Singapore for a permanent solution.

Instead Shiling again lost power, this time in open water.

Maritime New Zealand said it only released Shiling from detention after the vessel’s classification society, Lloyd’s Register, confirmed it was satisfied with repairs to the ship’s generators and main engine.