Explosion On Bulk Carrier At South Port Injures Three Crew Members

New Zealand maritime investigators are probing a serious accident aboard the bulk carrier M.V. Olivia, where three crew members were injured after an explosion in the ship’s engine room while berthed at South Port, Bluff.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) confirmed that the incident occurred on May 24, 2025, during maintenance work on a boiler. According to the investigation agency, the explosion happened as the three crew members were working inside the engine room.

Emergency responders, including St John Ambulance and Fire and Emergency New Zealand, arrived on the scene. Medical teams treated the injured crew, with one in moderate condition and two seriously injured.

The seriously injured crew members were transported to Southland Hospital for further care. The fire caused by the explosion was quickly extinguished before fire crews arrived.

The M.V. Olivia, a 180-meter bulk carrier registered under the Malta flag, had been moored at berth 11 at South Port, where it was loading logs. The vessel had arrived at Bluff on April 22 after departing the Port of Bintulu in Malaysia on March 25 and was scheduled to leave South Port on May 29.

TAIC is considering the explosion as a ‘serious marine casualty’ under the International Maritime Organization’s Casualty Investigation Code and has initiated a formal investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident.

South Port, the southernmost commercial port in New Zealand, handles over 3.2 million tonnes of cargo annually and recorded 131 calls by large vessels during the first half of the 2024-2025 year.

References: TAIC, 1news

Source: Maritime Shipping News