Coast council looking for fuel spill after boat sinks
From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
The sinking of the ex-fishing trawler Grace yesterday and any associated risk of fuel spill was not notified to the West Coast Regional Council today.
The fishing boat sank at its moorings at the Greymouth Fisherman's Wharf, on the Blaketown Lagoon, yesterday.
Acting consents and compliance manager Rachel Clark said the first they knew of the sinking was when they were contacted by the media.
Port of Greymouth manager Franco Horridge was in Christchurch today.
Clark said the council would usually be alerted by the port management of any sinking so they could dispatch environmental monitoring staff to assess any risk.
"Fuel would be a concern. Generally the harbour, if it was only a small spill, would deal with it."
Owner David Coakley told the Greymouth Star today that he learned of the boat's watery fate last evening, and was today waiting for low tide to begin the retrieval.
That would involve straightening it, fixing the holes in the vessel and pumping it out.
Coakley has owned the Grace since 1989.
"It's fished out of a lot of ports in the South Island," he said.
At 1pm the regional council said staff visiting the site, about midday, found "no major spill".
"A precautionary containment boom has been deployed around the vessel and will be maintained until it is salvaged," Clark said.
*Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Poll: When should the tree go up? 🎄
From what we've heard, some Christmas trees are already being assembled and decorated.
What are your thoughts on the best time to get your Christmas tree up?
-
4.7% Second half of November
-
43.6% 1st December
-
17.5% A week before Christmas
-
33.1% Whenever you wish
-
1.1% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite tomato recipe?
Kia ora neighbours. We know your tomato plants are still growing, but we're looking ahead to the harvest already! If you've got a family recipe for tomatoes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine to share with our readers. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our February 2025 issue.
Loading…
