An inquiry is under way into the grounding of the barge Manahau on a beach near Westport, following a week of stormy weather.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has opened the inquiry after the vessel ran aground on Saturday night.

Acting chief investigator of accidents Louise Cook has appointed a team of investigators scheduled to arrive on-site later today.

“Getting the facts straight is vital, so our investigators will be inspecting the vessel, seeking and recovering electronic and other records, and interviewing vessel crew, Westport authorities, and any other witnesses,” said Cook.

The commission has also issued a protection order to “preserve and protect evidence”.

The order relates to all electronic data from the vessel such as voyage and voice data, engine room logs, CCTV, and logbooks.

“We’re also protecting onboard equipment including propulsion, power supply, and anchor systems,” Cook said.

The protection order prohibits any person from accessing the items listed unless permitted by the commission.

“It doesn’t prevent the master and others from attending to the safety of the vessel, environment, or people on board,” she said.

The inquiry comes as specialist tug boats have scrambled to the West Coast in a bid to refloat the Manahau.

Work is being undertaken to ensure the grounded barge remains stable.

Several Maritime New Zealand personnel are heading to Westport to support the effort, while a Maritime Incident Response Team has been set up in Wellington, and is being supported by other staff around the country.

Maritime New Zealand incident controller Blair Simmons said diggers are at Carters Beach, creating anchor points to lock the vessel in place.

”This stops it from potentially drifting towards rocks at high tide,” Simmons said.

“Refloating the vessel will be a delicate operation, and we will closely review any plans being put in place by the operator.”

Maritime New Zealand discourages anyone from climbing on the vessel and disturbing anyone working around it.

The near 100m barge is currently intact and no items have been lost.

Maritime New Zealand confirmed there are no leaks and there was no cargo on board at the time.

The self-powered barge came into service in August 2024 carrying mineral sands out of shallow draught port Westport to Nelson.

One local man posted on Facebook, saying: “The barge could not have chosen a better place to ground itself”.

“The bow may be anchored but the vessel is basically broadsides and the stern seems to be floating.

Buller District Mayor Jamie Cleine said at the weekend that the Manahau had been anchored offshore for the past week and was not able to come in due to bad weather.

“At this stage, I have been advised there have been no injuries to anybody and no environmental concerns at this time.”

Cleine said the weather had been “horrific” during the past few nights.

“We have had a really rough week or so of weather and overnight was squally thunderstorms and winds.”

In a statement from the Maritime Union of New Zealand, national secretary Carl Findlay said the grounding “raises major questions”.

The Manahau barge on Carters Beach in Westport. Photo / Marlene Coleman Facebook

“Concerns had been previously raised by New Zealand seafarers about the foreign crew and flag of the barge,” he said.

He said the cause of the grounding has yet to be confirmed, but the difficult local conditions at Westport, including recent poor weather, would be obvious issues to consider.

Findlay said the Manahau did not have a New Zealand crew and the flag state was Niue.

“Vessels such as the Manahau operating in New Zealand’s unique and challenging maritime environment should be crewed by experienced New Zealand seafarers.”

The operators of the Manahau had benefitted from government funding for the vessel, he said, despite the ship not being New Zealand-flagged nor crewed.

The vessel’s owner, WMS Group, said in a statement that the barge ran aground.

“All 11 crew on board are safe and there are no environmental concerns.

“Westland Mineral Sands is working closely with relevant maritime and coastguard authorities to understand how this incident occurred.”

TAIC opens an inquiry when it believes the circumstances of an incident have - or are likely to have - significant implications for transport safety, or when the inquiry may allow the commission to make findings or recommendations to improve transport safety.