UPDATE 25/11 1200 – Small commercial fishing vessel run aground near Kaikōura has been successfully removed

Please attribute any quotes to Environment Canterbury regional on-scene commander Richard Purdon.

At 9pm on Sunday 24 November, the small commercial fishing vessel boat Ruff-Enuff was successfully removed from the water and placed on the roadside using a digger. About 60 litres of mixed fuels in 20 litre containers were removed from the vessel before it was towed above the high tide mark at 9pm on Sunday.

When the vessel ran aground, tanks were ruptured and about 600 litres of diesel fuel was lost. Some localised diesel sheen was visible in the immediate area of the grounding, and a large but thin plume of diesel was observed moving north towards South Bay. Diesel is a very light fuel which spreads and evaporates quickly, which is likely to happen over the coming days.

No affected wildlife has been observed as yet, however the response team is undertaking further shoreline and wildlife assessments, including aerial observations from the Kaikōura Aeroclub, and on-water observations from Whale Watch and Dolphin Encounter.

Members of the public are requested to call Environment Canterbury’s incident response line on 0800 765 588 immediately if they see oil on the water or any wildlife showing signs of distress due to oiling, or use Snap Send Solve.

ENDS

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