Steering failure involving roll-on roll-off cargo ship Matthew Flinders III, north of Waterhouse Island, Tasmania, on 24 July 2025

The ATSB is investigating an incident involving a loss of steering on board the roll-on/roll-off cargo ship Matthew Flinders III while en route to Lady Barron on Flinders Island, Tasmania, on 24 July 2025.

At approximately 0022 local time, the ship experienced a steering failure, with the rudder locked hard to port about 8 km north of Waterhouse Island. The crew manually realigned the rudder to midship to regain basic steering using differential engine power and attempted to return to Bridport anchorage. While slowly making way back to Bridport the ship's crew managed to identify and correct the steering failure and at 0845 steering was reinstated. The ship then continued to its passage to Lady Barron where it arrived around 1500.

A review of the evidence collected to date has resulted in the investigation's scope being upgraded to the Defined level (see here).

The final report has been drafted and is undergoing internal review to ensure the report adequately and accurately reflects the evidence collected, analysis, and agreed findings.

Should a critical safety issue be identified during the course of the investigation, the ATSB will immediately notify relevant parties so that appropriate safety action can be taken. A final report will be released at the conclusion of the investigation.