Akaroa tour boat to be deliberately sunk after 2000-litre diesel spill

A tour boat that capsized off a Canterbury coastline is firmly wedged on rocks and badly damaged, with diesel fumes lingering in pockets of the surrounding area.

Department of Conservation (DoC) staff and wildlife specialists are carrying out patrols at the site where the tour boat, carrying more than 2000 litres of marine diesel fuel, capsized near Akaroa on Saturday.

DoC Mahaanui district operations manager Andy Thompson said the vessel was “well wedged on the rocks” and “really solid”.

“In certain pockets, the smell of fuel was quite strong, not everywhere, but in parts of the marine reserve,” Thompson said.

He said while the spill was concerning, conditions appeared to be helping reduce its impact.

“It does appear to be evaporating quite well, which I’m thankful for. Bright sunlight and things like that are helping,” he said.

The sunken vessel.

DoC staff and wildlife specialists are continuing to monitor the area for any signs of environmental harm.

“The key thing we’re looking out for is any impact on the marine environment or the wildlife species that are present in that area,” Thompson said.

Today, fresh photos emerged of the partially submerged Black Cat Cruises boat as crews prepare to deliberately sink the vessel in a bid to limit environmental harm.

Coastguard Akaroa volunteers said they overheard a “pan-pan” call for assistance and arrived at the scene to find several other vessels already helping those on board.

All 38 passengers and three crew members on board were evacuated.

The latest photos of the sunken vessel.

Environment Canterbury Regional On Scene Commander Emma Parr today said recovery efforts are now focused on stabilising the vessel to prevent further damage and monitoring the impacts from the spill.

“This involves moving the vessel into deeper water, where it can be submerged in a controlled manner to prevent further structural damage from wind and sea conditions,” Parr said.

She said environmental monitoring was ongoing and wildlife response specialists remained on standby throughout the operation.

Environment Canterbury confirmed all diesel fuel on board the vessel is believed to have leaked out.

“It is likely that the full amount of marine diesel fuel that was on the vessel has been released to the sea,” the regional council said in a statement yesterday.

“Observations are showing us that the environment is coping with the release of this fuel, with sheens decreasing throughout the day.”

Environment Canterbury said wildlife specialists and precautionary measures were also in place to mitigate any environmental impacts.

The Black Cat Cruise boat capsized near Akaroa.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has appointed a dedicated investigation team to examine the incident.

Chief investigator of accidents Louise Cook said the agency was seeking information from anyone who was on board or witnessed the event.

“We’re particularly keen to receive videos or photographs,” Cook said.

The Herald has approached Black Cat Cruises for comment, but the company said it was not speaking to media at this stage.