Boat fire near Coromandel: Skipper escapes, rescued by fishermen

The ship ablaze in Mercury Bay. Photo / Waikato Regional Council

By RNZ

A man has escaped a large fire which saw him abandon his boat and get rescued by fishermen off the coast of the Coromandel.

Waikato Regional Council maritime officers were trying to secure the 13-metre aluminium boat which caught fire near Centre Island in Mercury Bay on Tuesday afternoon.

Black plumes of smoke were visible from Cooks Beach.

Waikato Council said the skipper discovered flames and deployed a life raft before being picked up by nearby recreational fishers who saw the smoke about 2.30pm.

The cause of the fire was unknown.

A regional council harbourmaster vessel was deployed with three maritime officers on board, arriving at the scene about 3pm and setting up an exclusion zone to keep the public at bay.

The damaged boat had holes in the side of the hull but remained afloat.

“We have spoken with the skipper and determined that he doesn’t require any medical attention,” deputy regional harbourmaster Hayden Coburn said.

“We’re due to return to the scene with equipment to secure the vessel in place. Because there is a lot of acrid smoke coming from the boat, it’s not safe at this stage to set up booms around the vessel.”

Coburn said the intensity of the fire would suggest the majority of the 300 litres of fuel on board at the time is likely to have burned off, with little to no fuel remaining.

“We’ll be monitoring any environmental effects from residual diesel and navigation safety risk from debris,” he said.

“The skipper has been in touch with his insurer and will be working with them to arrange salvage of his vessel.”

Council maritime officers have been liaising with Coastguard, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, Maritime New Zealand and police.

-RNZ