Search called off after report of yacht explosion

The yacht 'Blind Date'. Photo / supplied

The search has been called off for a multimillion-dollar superyacht, initially thought to have a New Zealander aboard, following a reported explosion.

Kiwi engineer Matthew Edwards, 37, was reported as being among the crew aboard vessel Blind Date, which was thought to have sunk at Sandy Hook off the New Jersey coast in the US.

The Te Puke man tonight confirmed he worked onboard a yacht with the same name in Fort Lauderdale but his vessel and its crew were safe and well.

"It's a different Blind Date, if at all. It's really strange for a boat to disappear of blow up - it sounds strange but it's not impossible,'' he said.

After a large-scale emergency response today for the luxury yacht, authorities are now investigating whether the distress call was a hoax.

The call was received at 4.20pm (8.20am NZT) reporting several people had been injured and the yacht was taking on water, Coastguard Lieutenant Joe Klinker told APNZ.

However, a major search operation involving vessels and aircraft from the New York and New Jersey Police and Coast Guard covering 638 nautical miles uncovered no sign of wreckage or victims, and the search has since been called off.

"More than 200 first responders assembled mass casualty reception areas in Newark and Coast Guard Station Sandy Hook, preparing to receive the reported injured passengers,'' Commander Kenneth Pierro said in a statement.

Distress calls wasted taxpayer money, put emergency services at risk and could interfere with the Coast Guard's ability to respond to real distress calls, he said.

Making a false distress call carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a US$250,000 fine and reimbursement to the Coast Guard for the cost of the search.

A US$1000 reward is offered by Coast Guard for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of anyone responsible for making hoax calls.