Boats on 'collision course' with oil ships

Inflatables carrying activists in front of the oil survey ship Orient Explorer.

A police warning has been issued to protest boats found on a "collision course" with oil survey ships off the East Cape of the North Island.

Two yachts and a fishing boat left yesterday for the area of the Raukumara Basin where Brazilian company Petrobras is searching for deep sea oil.

Superindendent Barry Taylor said police on board the navy ship "Taupo" were warned the protest ships were headed to the oil survey area.

They took action when the captain of a Petrobras ship radio radioed through concerns the boats would collide with his vessel, he said.

"During the night the captain of the survey ship became concerned the yachts were heading on a collision course with his ship. He had radioed the yachts to warn them and to change course.

"The yachts did not respond to the radio calls so the police launched a RIB and closed in on the yachts and told them they were at risk of endangering the safety of the survey vessel if they continued on their current headings."

Superintendent Taylor there was never an immediate risk to the safety of anyone involved.

It was a matter of being forced to take some action to ensure the safety of all those in the area, he said.

Greenpeace spokesman Dean Baigent-Mercer said the boats had not found the Brazilian exploration ship Orient Explorer by late last night but would be in the area looking today.

Baigent-Mercer said he did not know what the plans were to restrict the activities of the exploration ship.

A protest earlier this month put swimmers in the path of the exploration ship but resulted in exclusion notices being issued when the navy took police out to the area.

The protesters say the oil exploration fuels climate change and the environmental risks of offshore oil rigs are unacceptable.

However, New Zealand Oil and Gas corporate affairs manager Chris Roberts said he was confident oil companies which drilled in New Zealand would do their best to prevent accidents from happening.

"The companies themselves have the greatest incentive to get things right, they can't afford reputationally or financially to get things wrong," he told Radio New Zealand.

"The industry in New Zealand has been operating for more than 50 years, has comprehensive existing safety systems in pace and has an excellent safety record," he said.