Coast council looking for fuel spill after boat sinks

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:

The sinking of the ex-fishing trawler Grace yesterday and any associated risk of fuel spill was not notified to the West Coast Regional Council today.

The fishing boat sank at its moorings at the Greymouth Fisherman's Wharf, on the Blaketown Lagoon, yesterday.

Acting consents and compliance manager Rachel Clark said the first they knew of the sinking was when they were contacted by the media.

Port of Greymouth manager Franco Horridge was in Christchurch today.

Clark said the council would usually be alerted by the port management of any sinking so they could dispatch environmental monitoring staff to assess any risk.

"Fuel would be a concern. Generally the harbour, if it was only a small spill, would deal with it."

Owner David Coakley told the Greymouth Star today that he learned of the boat's watery fate last evening, and was today waiting for low tide to begin the retrieval.

That would involve straightening it, fixing the holes in the vessel and pumping it out.

Coakley has owned the Grace since 1989.

"It's fished out of a lot of ports in the South Island," he said.

At 1pm the regional council said staff visiting the site, about midday, found "no major spill".

"A precautionary containment boom has been deployed around the vessel and will be maintained until it is salvaged," Clark said.

*Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air.