A two-week salvage operation is under way to retrieve the wreck of the Black Cat Cruises vessel from Akaroa Harbour on Banks Peninsula.
The catamaran came to grief at Nikau Palm Valley Bay within the Akaroa Marine Reserve on 31 January, and more than 40 people had to be rescued from the stricken vessel. The catamaran was initially wedged on rocks near the harbour heads, but swells in the days that followed broke it apart, scattering wreckage along the shore.
The Canterbury Regional Council says the recovery of the tourist vessel's remains from both the beach and the seabed could take up to two weeks, subject to weather and sea conditions. The boat had been carrying 2,240 litres of marine diesel fuel along with approximately 120 litres of other oils held in sealed containers and engines, adding to the complexity of the task.
Regional on-scene commander Emma Parr says safety is the overriding concern throughout the operation. "Recovery activities will only be undertaken when conditions are safe for crews and any potential environmental impacts have been minimised. This includes pre and post wildlife surveys and hydrocarbon testing of water, sediment and shellfish," she said.
The salvage team plans to tackle the job in stages, beginning with the dismantling of the boat's upper structure and clearing debris from the beach. That phase is expected to occupy roughly five days and will use a barge and crane to cut up and remove the wreckage. Once the shoreline has been cleared, attention will shift to the sections of submerged hull and any remaining underwater debris.
A 200-metre exclusion zone around the wreck site remains in force. Parr stressed the importance of the public honouring that boundary. "The exclusion area is critical to keeping people safe while complex recovery work is underway. We ask the public to please respect all signage, on-water restrictions and advice from response crews," she said. "Removing the vessel and debris from this sensitive area is a priority and all parties involved remain committed to completing the recovery as safely and efficiently as possible."
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has launched an investigation into the grounding. The council is coordinating the recovery effort alongside several partner agencies, including the Department of Conservation, Maritime New Zealand, TAIC, Wildbase, and the NZ Defence Force.
The tour operator has noted that, in more than 40 years of operation, nothing like this had previously occurred.
