The Manahau barge has now berthed in Port Nelson after making the 170 nautical mile (315 kilometre) journey from Westport. It was refloated on Friday after grounding on Carters Beach just before midnight on the previous Saturday.

The barge was towed up South Island’s West Coast and rounded Farewell Spit before being brought into Tasman Bay by the offshore towing/support vessel MMA VISION with the tug KURUTAI in support.

The KURITAI then towed the barge in Port Nelson supported by harbour tugs. The MMA VISION was released to return to New Plymouth.

The Manahau’s operator, Westland Mineral Sands and their salvor, developed and implemented the plans for the salvage and towing operation, which was monitored by Maritime NZ.

Tasman and Nelson Harbour Masters were involved ahead of the vessel's arrival in Nelson to ensure safety and environmental protection.

Andrew Saunderson, Maritime NZ National Maritime Controller for the incident, said Maritime NZ was pleased that the vessel had made the journey safely and was now securely alongside.

"We want to thank everyone who has been involved for their efforts."

Maritime NZ’s role has been to lead the Government response to the incident, monitoring plans and operations.

What happens next

Maritime NZ’s response team will now stand down and hand over to Maritime NZ regulatory operations who have detained the vessel.

The investigation will continue with investigators looking into the circumstances that led the grounding.

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