All four crew were recovered by helicopter last night.
There is some debris in the surrounding water around the south coast of Banks Peninsula, particularly around the Shell Bay area. We are asking boat owners to avoid the area.
The 25m vessel is currently aground at Red Bluff on the southeastern coast of Banks Peninsula. The vessel has about 10,000L of diesel and 400L of hydraulic oil on board, as well as fish in its hold.
An incident management team has been established and is currently assessing the situation and response options to safely minimise the impact of oil and debris on the environment.
Initial aerial observations show that diesel has been released and is on the water heading towards Shell Bay and neighbouring bays. Shell Bay is home to the endangered yellow-eyed penguin, the white-flippered penguin, little blue penguins, the threatened nationally vulnerable spotted shag as well as seals and their pups.
"The current conditions are extremely challenging and unsafe due to the accessibility and forecasted weather over the coming days,” says Emma Parr, Regional On-Scene Commander for the Harbourmaster’s Office – Coastal Team.
"We are currently monitoring the situation and working with DOC with guidance from Massey University to initiate a wildlife response."
