The 40-foot vessel which ran aground in Kaikōura over the weekend, has been pulled onto the gravel shore at Gooches Beach, and work to remove it has begun.

A salvage company has been engaged by the owner/their insurer to break the vessel up and remove it off the beach. This work, which includes removing oil from the vessels tanks, began at low tide today.

Removal is estimated to take at five to seven days to complete. Our local staff will monitor the removal of the wreck.

Environment Canterbury regional on-scene commander Emma Parr thanks the community for supporting the vessel owner and response staff during this time.

"Thank you to the locals who got stuck in and helped the owner with this incident. Their contribution has not gone unnoticed," she said.
 

General FAQs

What happened?

On Sunday, 31 July our coastal response team was alerted to a 40-foot vessel that ran aground off the Kaikōura coast.
 

It ran aground, into rocks, approximately 200 metres offshore. The four crew members were rescued and were safe and well.
 

The vessel, with multiple steel fuel tanks, was carrying around 1,300 litres of diesel on board.
 

How was the vessel removed from the rocks?

Conditions were initially not favorable for this operation, but by Sunday night the vessel was securely on the beach, thanks to locals towing it ashore.

The owner, along with help from locals, have been leading the operation. Environment Canterbury has been monitoring and preparing for any potential environmental impacts.

Who is responsible for the vessel's removal?

The owner and/or their insurer is responsible for the vessel and its removal. They have been coordinating the response, with support from the local community. Costs relating to the vessel's removal is also the responsibility of the owner and/or their insurer.

The costs of a marine oil spill response undertaken by Environment Canterbury can also be recovered from the owner/insurer.

What are the environmental impacts?

We know a small amount of oil leaked from the vessel by the sheen seen on the surface of the water. This is likely to have evaporated and dispersed quickly with weather and tidal movements. No further oily sheens have been seen since it has been secured on the beach.
 

There has been some debris removed from the water from the damaged vessel, and contractors have been tasked with collecting and removing the debris from the surrounding environment.
 

If you do see floating debris or any signs of oil on the water, please contact Environment Canterbury.

Next update

Further updates will be made should the situation change significantly, or when the removal has been completed, on our Facebook page and website.

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