Duncan Roy: Interislander Executive General Manager on the new report revealing what happened with the Aratere ferry

Kiwirail says Aratere's auto-pilot button should never have been pressed.

The ferry ran aground  in June as it headed out from Picton.

An interim report from the Transport Accident Investigation Commission details how the crew didn't know how to turn off the auto-pilot as it steered the ferry towards land.

InterIslander Executive General Manager Duncan Roy says it was pressed in error, then no one could flick it off.

"They didn't know on the bridge, we didn't know on Interislander - working with the people that provided us this service right now, as we speak, to work out why we didn't know."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
And so we finally got the official account of why
the Artitet a ferry ran onto that beach near Picton
in June. Turns out it is basically what we had
already heard. The autopilot took the vessel off in the
wrong direction, and nobody on board knew how to disable
the autopilot.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
What we have established is that they did not know
that they had to hold the button down, nor were
they aware that they did not know.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
Duncan roy is the inter Island is executive general manager.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Hey Duncan, Hia, they good to be back.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
Duncan listen. Everything goes wrong when the refound master, who's
the chap is learning the boat again? Press is the
autopilot more than thirty seconds too late? Why did that happen?

Speaker 2 (00:35):
So you'll notice today that take put out a list
of statements of facts. One of the things they didn't
do was make comment on why that button was pushed,
because they have an ongoing investigation and I'm not going
to comment on that either. What I can say is
that the ship did move to starboard an era, and
after that they went through the process of regaining control

(00:58):
and they couldn't that immediately, and then they went through
another series of their processes to slow the ship down
and attempt to stop it before it and ground slowly.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
The chap who was actually in charge the night maaster,
was he properly supervising the refam master when he presses
the button too late?

Speaker 2 (01:16):
Totally. The nightmaster is in control of the bridge and
he had the appropriate people on the bridge with him.
He was refaming another master. We do that so they
can maintain currency as they move around the ships. This
is accepted practice and was normal.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
Preg normal because it just sounds like what's probably happened
to he is they're having a little chat about how
the boat works. May chat for thirty seconds too long
as the button gets pressed too late. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
No, when the button was pushed and the ship moved
to starboard, you know, large ships take time to change course.
It was an unexpected turn. It's at night, so that's
an understandable timeline to react to.

Speaker 1 (01:52):
Yeah, but the button was pressed too late.

Speaker 2 (01:56):
The button was pressed in the error.

Speaker 1 (01:58):
Oh, it wasn't supposed to be pressed at all.

Speaker 2 (02:00):
No, the button was pressed and the ship changed direction
to start it.

Speaker 1 (02:05):
Why didn't they know that they had to press the
disabled button for five seconds at least to disable the autopilot.

Speaker 2 (02:12):
That is the key question that we're looking at now
that we've got the Oaritary back into service. He's done
three hundred and sixty four sailings, including three today, so
frustrating this. We are lucky.

Speaker 1 (02:23):
Don't tell me you don't know what the answer to
that question is.

Speaker 2 (02:27):
So they didn't know on the bridge, we didn't know
an into island. So we're working with the people that
provided us the service right now as we speak to
work out why we didn't know. Well, we have done
those we solved the problem immediately, so now we're working
on going forward and fixing this so it doesn't happen again. Change.

Speaker 1 (02:47):
How do you, honestly, I mean, it's so basic, right,
It's a basic question of going to them and being like,
why didn't you know? Did we brief you? Like that's
a simple question. How in five months have you not
asked that question?

Speaker 2 (02:58):
So I think I'll just repeat what I said here
that they didn't know, we didn't know, So.

Speaker 1 (03:02):
Now I get that can tell why you didn't know.

Speaker 2 (03:06):
So as take said today that they didn't know, they
didn't know. So we've been we've received a new piece
of equipment, and we're working with the provider of the
equipment to figure out why. Oh hold on, we run informed.

Speaker 1 (03:18):
Are you telling me they didn't know they had to
press it for five seconds? But neither did anybody in
Into Islander.

Speaker 2 (03:25):
That's what I'm saying. We got a new piece of
equipment and there was a very specific set of circumstances
that meant it required a five second over Okay, for
the eighty three crossings prior to this, Yeah, the one
press button worked the day they arrived and picked in
that day, they pressed the button once to take control.
It was only when in this very particular set of

(03:46):
circumstances where the rudder was out of sync with the
steering wheel, that you had to do a five second overall.

Speaker 1 (03:51):
And are you telling me there didn't know? And whoever
provided this equipment to inter Islander told no one Into
Islander that in the specific set of circumstances you have
to press the button for five seconds. Like literally nobody knew.

Speaker 2 (04:06):
We are working with that provider right now.

Speaker 1 (04:08):
But are you telling me nobody takes as.

Speaker 2 (04:10):
Take said today a number of times is a very
complex set of donead investigations.

Speaker 1 (04:15):
That nobody in into Island and knew you had to
press it for five seconds.

Speaker 2 (04:19):
Heather, if we'd known that you had to do it,
we would have done it.

Speaker 1 (04:24):
Okay, Well, you might have just been a communication problem,
but I get it. Did somebody go get a coffee?

Speaker 2 (04:30):
Yeah, we can put that to bed right now. The
right number of people are on the bridge doing their
job professionally. No one left the bridge to get coffee.

Speaker 1 (04:37):
Duncan, thank you very much for answering the questions. Really
appreciate it. Mate. There's Duncan Roy Into Islander, executive general manager.
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