JOHN BISSET/STUFF/Stuff
The supply ship Skandi Emerald is assisting a bulk carrier 60 nautuical miles off the Taranaki coast. (File photo)_
A bulk carrier is being towed towards Port Taranaki after suffering a mechanical failure more than 60 nautical miles out to sea.
The captain of La Richardais requested assistance on Sunday night, and the Skandi Emerald, a supply ship owned by Austrian oil firm OMV, went to assist.
The Skandi Emerald reached La Richardais, which was 64 nautical miles north of Port Taranaki, off Raglan, early Monday morning.
Belinda Snell, director of the Nautilus Shipping Agency, said between 20 and 22 people were aboard La Richardais, but they were not in any danger.
La Richardais, built in 2014, is sailing under the flag of Malta and was on its way from Sydney.
It is expected to reach Port Taranaki under tow on Tuesday afternoon.
The nature of the mechanical fault is not yet known.
