Fishing boat salvage operation completed
AFTER being stuck on rocks for four days, the Oamaru fishing vessel Jane Marie has been lifted clear and the salvage and pollution response is over.
Jane Marie ran into trouble on the night of February 9 while entering Oamaru Harbour with two crew on board.
A Maritime New Zealand spokesman said both crew ended up in the water, were rescued and went to hospital for treatment.
Otago Regional Council onscene commander Scott MacLean said it was believed Jane Marie was carrying about 500 litres of fuel and most of the diesel had leaked out as water found its way into the tanks.
However, the tanks did not rupture which had lessened the effect of the fuel, he said.
‘‘From a response point of view, it’s better to deal with it like that than the whole immediate discharge.’’
He said the fuel recovery buoys distributed throughout Oamaru Harbour had absorbed a large quantity and stopped the diesel coming ashore.
He could not say how much, but the buoys smelt strongly of fuel.
‘‘They did their job. They did very well. We cornered off those very sensitive areas. We still don’t know the exact quantity, but we haven’t observed any significant impact on the environment. It was good to work with the Department of Conservation and the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony.’’
Mr MacLean said, from his response team’s point of view, the fourday operation went well and he declared it over yesterday.
He said the boat was brought out in two sections.
Over the past few days, bits of it had fallen into the water but a lot of debris was collected.
Colony research scientist Philippa Agnew said the facility’s rehabilitation unit had been ready to cope with any injured or dieselaffected birds, but so far had not been needed.
Noone from the Department of Conservation could not be reached for comment.
shannon.gillies@odt.co.nz