Dirty diesel was not a factor in the Buller River bar boating accident that killed a West Coast fisherman, the Maritime Safety Authority has ruled.
Leighton Forrester, 50, was killed on May 11 when his 14m trawler Owenga 8 overturned on the Buller River bar in fierce seas, 40m off
Carters Beach.
The MSA, which has yet to complete its investigation, wanted to make sure the Owenga's diesel engine did not lose power because of a clogged filter.
Early this year, recreational and commercial boaties were warned not to sail after it was discovered that an anti-freeze additive had contaminated diesel produced by the New Zealand Refining Company and sold by BP, Shell, Mobil and Caltex.
Millions of litres of the dodgy diesel - which could block engines and cause them to stall - was sold, until the problem was discovered in late May.
But a MSA spokeswoman said that tests on the diesel taken from the Owenga 8 tanks and its oil filters showed no sign of the additive.
She said inquiries by the authority could sometimes take months to complete. And because of the dirty diesel problems investigators had taken longer to examine any possible links between the additive and the accident.
- NZPA
