The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) confirmed that the incident 

occurred on May 24, 2025, during maintenance work on a boiler. According to the 

investigation agency, the explosion happened as the three crew members were 

working inside the engine room.

Emergency responders, including St John Ambulance and Fire and Emergency New 

Zealand, arrived on the scene. Medical teams treated the injured crew, with one in 

moderate condition and two seriously injured.

The seriously injured crew members were transported to Southland Hospital for 

further care. The fire caused by the explosion was quickly extinguished before 

fire crews arrived.

The M.V. Olivia, a 180-meter bulk carrier registered under the Malta flag, had 

been moored at berth 11 at South Port, where it was loading logs. The vessel had 

arrived at Bluff on April 22 after departing the Port of Bintulu in Malaysia on 

March 25 and was scheduled to leave South Port on May 29.

TAIC is considering the explosion as a ‘serious marine casualty’ under the 

International Maritime Organization’s Casualty Investigation Code and has 

initiated a formal investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident.

South Port, the southernmost commercial port in New Zealand, handles over 

3.2 million tonnes of cargo annually and recorded 131 calls by large vessels 

during the first half of the 2024-2025 year.