Three down, some to go
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News release
22 February 2008
Three down, some to go
The 45-metre hulk of the trawler Atlantic Elizabeth was yesterday successfully scuttled in the southern part of the
“Explosives Dumping Ground” in Cook Strait, approximately 12.5 miles southwest from Cape Palliser.
This is the third vessel from the present batch of trawlers that Greater Wellington has been tasked with scuttling,
after James Cook and Szap 8 were scuttled on 2 December last year.
Next in line is the hulk of Seafire, which will be moved from its present berth at Waterloo Quay Wharf (next to the
Maritime Police Base) to Miramar Wharf on Monday 25 February for final scuttling preparations, which should only take a
few weeks.
Trawler “Atlantic Elizabeth” - history
The 45-metre steel trawler Atlantic Elizabeth, of 661 gross tonnage, was built in Canada in 1974 for Canadian owners. It
was sold to New Zealand owners in late 1993 and came to New Zealand to fish from Wellington. The ship was in the news
when it collided with the concrete Steeple Rock light beacon whilst sailing from Wellington on 18th May 1999, tearing a
hole six metres long and two metres wide in its port bow, as well as badly damaging the concrete light structure. The
skipper was later prosecuted and fined by the then Maritime Safety Authority.
From about 2002, a succession of owners was placed into liquidation. In June 2004 the Ministry of Fisheries took control
of Atlantic Elizabeth whilst berthed at Wellington as its owners were alleged to have breached Ministry of Fisheries
regulations. Two more owning companies were liquidated, the last in April 2007, and it was then “abandoned” to Greater
Wellington to dispose of. A permit was obtained from Maritime New Zealand to scuttle the vessel, and required Greater
Wellington to remove all oils, contaminants and floatable material.
For video of previous scuttlings in December 2007, click on link below, then click onto video link http://www.gw.govt.nz/section31.cfm
ENDS