New Zealand media reports The lack of a lifejacket and a rusty wire contributed to the death of a cruise ship worker in Christchurch's Lyttelton Harbour during a lifeboat exercise, a Transport Accident Investigation Commission report says. A 29-year-old Indonesian man drowned after a wire snapped as he was working on a lifeboat hanging over the side of the cruise ship Volendam in January. He was not wearing a lifejacket and could not swim, the report said. Despite search efforts, the man's body was not found until port authority divers searched the seabed that evening. The man was standing on top of one of the ship's lifeboats with another crew member, greasing the wires that attached it to the ship when a wire broke. The lifeboat fell bow down and was left dangling from its remaining wire. Both men were thrown 16 metres into the water. They had been wearing safety harnesses clipped to a safety line, but it was broken by the boat's fall. One man grabbed a floating bucket of grease to stay afloat and was rescued by the ship's crew. He was taken to Christchurch Hospital to be treated for mild hypothermia and minor bruising. The other man, who had been working on the Volendam for over four months, was briefly seen above the water in a "dazed state" but soon disappeared. A search was made by the vessel's rescue boat, the port authority, the coastguard and emergency services. It was four hours before the body was found. When the ship's lifeboat fittings were inspected after the accident, 10 wires were found to be corroded. The commission made urgent safety recommendations and encouraged owners of ships with the same model of fittings to do immediate inspections to prevent a similar incident. The report said a key lesson to learn was that a wire was only as good as its weakest part. "Wire ropes in a marine environment require frequent and thorough lubrication to prevent corrosion; otherwise other measures will need to be taken to prevent premature failure of the wire ropes." It also suggested crew should always wear lifejackets when working outside a ship's rail.

Otaga Daily Times reports a lifeboat is still dangling off the side of a cruise ship, moored at Christchurch's Port Lyttelton, after a cable broke sending two crew members into the water, with one of the men presumed drowned. Divers are searching the water for the 29-year-old Indonesian man who fell overboard this afternoon around 2PM. The other crew member managed to use a bucket to stay afloat and was rescued. Both men were wearing heavy clothing, overalls and boots but no lifejackets: "It appears that one of the cables has let go at one end...it (the lifeboat) is dangling there by one cable at the moment." According to one report, the accident occured during a lifeboat training exercise. The man's body was subsequently recovered. Police are investigating the incident.