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Dylan O’Neill / Te Anau Fire Department
The Tonka was destroyed by a fire at a pier in Milford Sound on Monday morning.
Barriers have been put in place to contain a light oil slick following a ship fire in Milford Sound Monday morning.
The ship was a pleasure ship named Tonka, and no one was on board at the time, confirmed Maritime New Zealand.
Environment Southland Harbor Master Lyndon Cleaver said there is now evidence of small amounts of diesel, oil or other contaminants seeping into the water after the ship partially sank this morning.
“The Milford team went into action as soon as the ship showed signs of an oil spill. At this stage, there is a very small amount of visible contamination on the surface, ”she said.
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“We will continue to be in close contact with those on the ground in Milford as the situation develops.”
The boat was a former fishing boat that was being used as accommodation, he said.
A port boom has been launched to contain the spill. There were minimal amounts of oil on board and a team was working with the insurers to lift the boat out of the water.
Emergency services were called to the fire at a pier in the Deep Water Basin shortly after 4 a.m. Monday.
Dylan O’Neill / Te Anau Fire Department / Things
A ship was destroyed in a fire at a berth in Milford Sound Monday morning.
Cleaver said earlier Monday morning that “we were lucky it was a steel-hulled boat, otherwise it could have burned to the waterline and released diesel and other contaminants into the water.”
He said Milford Sound Tourism had oil spill kits and was on standby during the fire, but they were not needed, he said.
Cleaver said he remained in close contact with people on the ground in Milford and that all relevant agencies, including Maritime New Zealand, Fiordland Marine Guardians and DOC, had been notified.
“The people of Milford did an excellent job putting out the fire and taking care of the situation without outside help.”
Southland environment
The Tonka was destroyed by fire in the early hours of Monday morning.
A helicopter was used to assist firefighters from Te Anau to Milford to fight the blaze.
New Zealand Fire and Emergency spokeswoman Lyn Crosson said the ship was on fire when a crew arrived from Milford Sound.
He said a second team had been called from Te Anau but was having trouble getting to the fire because a slip had closed a section of State Highway 94, which is the main highway between Te Anau and Milford.
Instead, they were airlifted to the fire.
Crosson said early reports had suggested the fire had caused several gas bottles to explode on the ship.
It was not clear how big the ship was, but it was expected to have been “destroyed” in the fire, he said.
The cause of the fire was not yet known, but it was not considered suspicious, he said.
A spokesperson for St John Ambulance said the organization had not been called in to attend the fire.
