On Monday 25 September, the Harbourmaster's Office at Environment Canterbury was notified of a vessel aground near Shell Bay on the southeastern side of Banks Peninsula.

All four crew were recovered by helicopter on Sunday 24 September between 9pm and 10pm.

The 25m fishing vessel is currently aground at Red Bluff on the southeastern coast of Banks Peninsula. The vessel has about 10,000L of diesel and 400L of hydraulic oil on board, as well as fish in its hold.

An incident management team has been established and is currently assessing the situation and response options to safely minimise the impact of oil and debris on the environment.

Initial aerial observations show that oil has been released and is on the water heading towards Shell Bay and neighbouring bays. Shell Bay is home to the endangered yellow-eyed penguin, the white-flippered penguin, little blue penguins, the threatened nationally vulnerable spotted shag as well as seals and their pups.

“The current conditions are extremely challenging and unsafe due to the coastline and forecasted weather,” says Emma Parr, Regional On-Scene Commander for the Harbourmaster's Office – Coastal Team.

“We are currently monitoring the situation and working with DOC with guidance from Massey University to initiate a wildlife response.”

There is some debris in the surrounding water around the south coast of Banks Peninsula, particularly around the Shell Bay area. We are asking boaties to avoid the area. People should not touch the spill or any affected wildlife.

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