Ship not sinking, just having repairs, says Maersk

This unusual sight in the Waitemata Harbour prompted many calls to the harbourmaster's office. Photo / Greg Bowker

Our ship is not sinking, the giant Maersk Line reassured worried members of the Auckland public.

The international shipping company took the unusual step yesterday of issuing a public statement that its container ship Nora Maersk is having repairs to its bow thruster and is not sinking in Auckland's Waitemata Harbour.

The 200m ship is heavily laden in the stern to lift the bow out of the water so engineers can get external access to the bow thrusters for repairs.

But the repairs are being done in the harbour between Devonport and Mission Bay and the relatively unusual sight of a ship with its stern so low and its bow so high prompted many calls to the Auckland harbourmaster from members of the public worried the ship was sinking.

Maersk operations manager Neville Kershaw said such repairs were usually done when the ship was alongside a wharf and the unusual angle was not obvious. But Auckland wharves did not have the depth to do the repair alongside and the ship was too big for a dry dock in New Zealand.

He said it was normal practice in many ports around the world, and presented no danger to the ship.

Once the repairs were completed the ship would return to the Fergusson Container Terminal to reload the cargo and continue its voyage.

- NZPA