Heavyweight adrift in harbour

Photo / Greg Bowker

A runaway 350-tonne barge drifted almost 10km through the Waitemata Harbour, unmanned and unnoticed, before coming to rest on a reef.

An investigation is underway into how the vessel came loose from its moorings at the Chelsea Sugar Refinery last Sunday afternoon and floated under the harbour bridge to Mission Bay.

But the more curious question might be how no one noticed that the 140-metre barge was drifting out of control.

It was discovered only when the dredging barge grounded on a reef just 100m from Mission Bay beach.

Deputy harbourmaster Jim Dilley said there were no reports of the drifting barge until it grounded.

An unmanned vessel of that size on the water over such a distance was a definite danger to others.

"It's not something we like floating around the harbour by itself, that's for sure," said Mr Dilley.

"It's a reasonable-sized barge, anything like that floating around the water is a hazard. It could have hit all sorts of things."

The millionaire businessman who owns the barge suspects a sabotage attempt.

Paul Webb, one of the wealthy entrepreneurs on the television show Dragons' Den, says it is a "miracle" the 350-tonne steel barge, named RHR, didn't kill anyone on the water.

"Any boat that was hit would have sunk instantly. A barge that massive, with no lights on on a gloomy afternoon, would have been unstoppable."

The harbourmaster called Mr Webb around 6pm to tell him that RHR had grounded 100m from Mission Bay beach. A tugboat then towed the stranded barge to a wharf at the Ports of Auckland.

Mr Webb said there was evidence that the mooring had been cut. "It didn't chafe or fail. The line was deliberately cut, there's no question about that. The chafe guard was intact, it was a clean cut," said Mr Webb.

"Unless it was resting on a razor blade, it's just not possible."

He has laid a complaint with police and hired private investigators to look into a sighting of three men in blue overalls seen in an aluminium dinghy near the barge.

"We're obviously very keen to find out who did this. The entire Waitemata Harbour was at risk and even the harbour bridge. Imagine the mayhem that would have caused."

Senior Constable Graham Jex, of the Auckland Maritime Unit, confirmed a complaint had been laid with police. A number of charges could be laid if sabotage were proven, said Mr Jex, including offences under the Maritime Transport Act.

Anyone who causes "unnecessary danger or risk to any other person or to any property" can be charged under the act regardless of whether any injury or damage is inflicted.

"It's a big lump of steel floating around. Worst-case scenario is crashing into the bridge and stopping traffic. That would cause major bedlam," said Mr Jex.

Private investigator Danny Toresen has placed advertisements in the Weekend Herald offering a reward to identity the "three goons" in the metal dinghy.