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Waikato Regional Council / Supplied
The barriers were set up after a ship caught fire and sank early Thursday morning.
An emergency operations center was established at Coromandel after a motorboat caught fire and sank, spilling diesel into the sea off the Coromandel Peninsula.
Waikato Regional Council staff have installed the barriers around the 47 foot fiberglass sunken launch at Woolshed Bay, Whanganui Island.
About 2,000 liters of diesel were on board the boat, but it is unknown how much may have leaked since launch or if it was still leaking as of Friday.
A 5km long and 300m wide diesel slick was reported Thursday afternoon, which has since evaporated or naturally dispersed.
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On Friday, regional stage commander Richard Barnett said Stuff Yesterday’s stain suggests that around 250 liters of oil leaked into the port.
It is too early to tell if most of the fuel was burned in the fire.
The ship caught fire and sank in the early hours of Thursday. The launch is now at the bottom of the ocean.
People on board at the time the fire started were able to escape safely.
Waikato Regional Council / Supplied
It is unknown how much diesel has leaked into the water.
Barnett said two regional council vessels had been in the water Thursday night to install “rapid deployment barriers.”
“Because we don’t yet know how much diesel is left on board, we need to ensure that any leaking diesel is contained and does not spread.
“It’s in about ten feet of water, even at low tide.”
Barnett said maritime officials returned to the port at 7 a.m. Friday, looking at the immediate area and further up and down the port.
The fuel leaking from the wreck has now been contained within the barriers and the absorbent material was absorbing the fuel.
“There is a small line of pollutant that has washed ashore at Woolshed Bay. We have not been able to confirm what it is, so it is difficult to know at this point the best way to deal with it. “
Barnett said that no diesel had apparently reached the coast so far.
“We have sought the advice of our marine experts and they have informed us that no significant areas of wildlife have been observed near Woolshed Bay or on the island of Whanganui.
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Woolshed Bay on the island of Whanganui is a short drive from the town of Coromandel.
“The biggest risk area is inside Coromandel Harbor, from Whangarahi Creek to Waipapa Bay.
“This is because they are marshes, seagrasses and mangroves that are impossible to clean once greased.
“Fortunately, the slick is moving away from the coast and the good news is that diesel will evaporate very quickly in the hot weather we are experiencing.
“That means the risk to wildlife and the environment in general is likely to be short-lived.”
Mussel and oyster farms had been contacted in the area, but so far diesel was drifting away from them, Barnett said.
The Council hopes to remove the vessel as soon as possible.
“The faster we do it, the better … we have to be a part of that process, as more fuel may be released in the wreck’s motion,” Barnett said.
He was unable to say if the vessel would be removed on Friday.
