The Transport Accident Investigation Commission is investigating the collision.
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There are renewed calls for boat operators to have some kind of mandatory training or licence before they take the helm, following a collision between a ferry and a motorboat in the Bay of Islands on Thursday.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) is investigating the incident, which left ferry skipper Bill Elliot seriously injured with suspected head and spinal injuries.

The incident happened shortly before midday, one passenger on the ferry saying a “massive launch” came full throttle straight towards its side before it crashed. The 50-year-old Waitere ferry, also known as the ‘Blue Ferry’, had just left Russell, en route to Paihia.

The motorboat – which one witness said had two 300 horsepower outboard motors – hit the side of the ferry at the front, close to where the skipper was. Several people were thrown into the water.

Elliot was in a critical but stable condition this morning, a spokesperson at Middlemore Hospital told RNZ.

Among those who came to Elliot’s aid was a parasailing boat from Flying Kiwi Parasail. Skipper Rich de Rosa said at first he thought the motorboat – which he described as a 10m-long Boston Whaler – had come to the aid of the stricken ferry.

“But as we came around – and meanwhile, we still have parasailers in the air – as we came around to the port side we saw the magnitude of the damage, and then realised that that other vessel was not actually assisting, and was actually the one that collided with them at full speed,” he told Morning Report today.

“Basically, the entire helm station and wheelhouse was collapsed. The deck was gone, and we could actually see down into the bilge. And luckily, the hole was just above the waterline, so it wasn’t actually taking water on at that stage.”

Another vessel – the ‘Happy Ferry’ – also arrived, taking on the Waitere’s shell-shocked passengers.

“We noticed that the skipper was lying motionless in the wheelhouse behind the helm, and a couple of passengers were attending to his wounds,” de Rosa said.

“It looked like he had a pretty substantial head injury, and so we came alongside and two ladies that were on our boat announced that they were doctors and that they are willing to help. So, I made sure they were okay boarding the ferry, and we put them and my crew on board to assist with getting Bill off.”

De Rosa estimated the motorboat had to be travelling at least 30 knots – about 55km/h – and had “a lot of weight behind it”. But passengers on the Waitere told him at the time of the collision, there was no one at the helm.

“I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night, reflecting on it. It worries me that it can happen again because you know, there’s no requirement to have a boat licence in New Zealand. You know, 500 horsepower, 40 knots, see you later. Anybody can jump on one of these boats – no experience, knowledge whatsoever – and go to sea. And I think that’s what needs to change.”

It was not clear on Friday morning if anyone on the motorboat was an experienced operator. De Rosa was sceptical, saying an experienced boatie would not leave the helm unattended.

Investigation underway

TAIC chief investigator Naveen Kozhuppakalam told Morning Report three investigators have been assigned to the incident – two mariners and a “human factors specialist”, and an expert in “analysing how people interact with their environment and how these interactions can affect the outcome of an accident”.

He called it a “very serious collision”.

“The commission has raised concerns in the past that New Zealand’s maritime rules places no obligation on recreational boat users to demonstrate [competence]… There has been action taken, but the commission’s position is that sufficient action is yet to be taken to address this very serious safety issue.”

He was unable to confirm if the helm on the motorboat was indeed unattended at the time of the accident.

“Our number one priority is to interview those involved in the accident as soon as we can, but we’re also very mindful, you know, that these people are normally quite traumatised.

“No one woke up in the morning with the intention of having an accident, so investigators are trying to pay careful attention to their wellbeing as they go about conducting the business of gathering evidence.”

The damaged Waitere sank just after 2pm.

De Rosa feared it was only a matter of time before another collision happened.

“It is a very busy location and you know, you’ve always got ferries in the channel between Paihia and Russell, and then you’ve got another channel coming from Opua that crosses over top of that channel. So there’s always traffic crossing over top of each other.

“And then in summertime, there’s hundreds and hundreds of boats here. So it was a very unlucky event. Could it happen again? Of course it could.”