A cargo vessel’s captain, Captain Yongyu Li, has reportedly admitted that he put the ship and the people on board at risk. When Cyclone Gabrielle hit, he steered into the shallower waters off Hawke’s Bay when the ship was headed to the Port of Tauranga.
Li appeared on Monday in the Tauranga District Court via an audio-visual link from China. He pleaded guilty to operating a ship on 14 February in a manner that caused unnecessary dangers or risks.
The charge under Section 65 of the Maritime...