Waikato Regional Council maritime officers are working to secure a 13-metre aluminium boat which caught fire near Centre Island in Mercury Bay this afternoon.

It’s unknown how the fire in the engine bay started, with the skipper discovering flames and deploying a life raft before being picked up by nearby recreational fishers who saw the smoke about 2.30pm.

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 has holes in the side of the hull but remains afloat.

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

“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.

“With that 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.

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

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

© Scoop Media