New Zealand maritime investigators are examining a serious incident aboard the bulk carrier M.V. Olivia, which resulted in injuries to three crew members following an explosion in the engine room while docked at South Port, Bluff. The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) reported that the explosion occurred on May 24, 2025, during maintenance on a boiler.
Emergency services, including St John Ambulance and Fire and Emergency New Zealand, responded quickly. One crew member sustained moderate injuries, while two others were seriously hurt and transported to Southland Hospital for treatment. Fortunately, the fire ignited by the explosion was extinguished before firefighters arrived.
The M.V. Olivia, a 180-meter bulk carrier registered in Malta, was loading logs at berth 11 when the incident occurred. The vessel had arrived in Bluff on April 22 after departing from Malaysia and was scheduled to depart South Port on May 29. TAIC is treating the explosion as a “serious marine casualty” and has launched a formal investigation to ascertain the cause.
South Port, New Zealand’s southernmost commercial port, handles over 3.2 million tonnes of cargo annually, with 131 large vessel calls recorded in the first half of the 2024-2025 year.
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