Fishing vessel sinks off Bluff Coast

At about 3am this morning the fishing vessel Ayson sank off Stirling Point near Bluff.

There were three people onboard and all were rescued by the Coastguard.

The Environment Southland Marine Oil Spill Response Team has assessed the situation as an estimated 3,000-5,000 litres of diesel is believed to be onboard the vessel.

Regional On Scene Commander Dallas Bradley says that currently there is only a small diesel spill that was probably caused by fuel escaping from the fuel tank breather pipes. There were no indications that diesel had entered Bluff Harbour. The owners are planning to dive on the vessel today to block the breather pipes and assess damage.

While the vessel is in shallow water, salvaging it could take some days, he says. Environment Southland will continue to monitor any spillage and its path.

ENDS

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