What you need to know about the Nīkau Palm Valley Bay vessel incident
Recovery activities around the grounded vessel, Black Cat, at Nīkau Palm Valley Bay, Akaroa, continue, following the consultation of a recovery plan.
Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury) continues to work alongside the salvage teams and insurers to minimise impacts to the environment, with aligned partner agency and stakeholder interests. This may take 15 days in total, subject to weather and sea conditions.
The recovery operation is being undertaken in two phases:
- Phase one will focus on the removal of the vessel’s superstructure and any debris from the beach. This work will involve cutting up the superstructure in place and removing material using a barge and crane. This phase is expected to take around five days.
- Phase two will involve the removal of the submerged hull sections and debris from the seabed. This will require diver teams to carry out a full investigative survey of debris fields before recovery begins, along with the use of specially fabricated floats to safely lift and remove the hull sections. This phase is also expected to take approximately five days, but timing will depend on the weather and sea conditions.
The boat ramp in Children’s Bay, Akaroa Harbour, will be closed periodically throughout the operation. This is to ensure the safety of contractors and the public. All efforts will be made to keep these closure periods as brief as possible, but safety on the site is paramount.
Regional On-Scene Commander, Emma Parr, said safety will remain the top priority 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.
“Weather and sea conditions will play a key role in determining when work can proceed on any given day.”
Exclusion zone critical to safety
The public is reminded that the 200 metre exclusion zone (PDF file, 139KB) remains in place around the vessel and recovery site.
“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.”
On-water monitoring of the site and surrounding area will continue throughout the recovery operation, with assistance from partner agencies and stakeholders, including the NZ Defence Force’s Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat, she explained.
“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.”
View exclusion zone critical to safety
Environment Canterbury Chair Dr Deon Swiggs is glad to see a plan in place.
“The response team has done an exceptional job managing a complex and fast-moving situation alongside our iwi partners and DOC, and in collaboration and with advice from Maritime New Zealand, the Transport Accident Investigate Commission (TAIC) and Wildbase. Their strong focus on safety for crews, the public and the environment has guided every decision, and their expertise and teamwork has been evident throughout.”
Roles and responsibilities during the response
This is a complex recovery operation involving several agencies, each with a defined role:
- Environment Canterbury: Leads regional coastal incident response, undertakes marine oil spill response, ensures safe harbour operations, and coordinates relevant on‑water response activities.
- Department of Conservation (DOC): Works alongside us to monitor wildlife, provide specialist advice, and ensure appropriate protection measures under the Marine Reserves Act are in place.
- Maritime New Zealand and the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC): Leads formal investigations, including site examination, vessel condition assessment, and data recovery.
- Wildbase: Provides expertise and support monitoring, assessing, rescuing and rehabilitation of any impacted wildlife.
- NZ Defence Force: Provides additional on-water capability to support response activities.
Further updates will be provided as the recovery progresses, or if conditions change.
Previous updates
7 February, 8am
Specialist salvage contractors accessed the site by helicopter to undertake a more detailed assessment of the vessel and surrounding debris field. This assessment has provided key information to support finalisation of the salvage plan.
It has now been confirmed that the vessel has separated. The hulls remain ;on the seabed, grounded on rock, while the decking and superstructure are located on the beach. While large sections of the vessel are visible on the beach, these will be removed as part of the planned salvage operation.
Debris monitoring and collection continues twice daily. Very little new debris has been collected from the water, with no more than one fish bin of material recovered since the last update.
The draft salvage plan is nearing completion, with yesterday's helicopter assessment providing important input. The plan will be shared with partner agencies and key stakeholders.
Environmental monitoring continues to show encouraging signs. No diesel was observed around Cathedral Cave, and only a small number of 20-30cm patches of rainbow sheens (micron-thin) were observed in total across the incident site.
On-water observers did not sight the previously reported potentially unwell crested penguin. Its current status remains unknown, and wildlife monitoring will continue as part of the ongoing response.
All parties involved remain committed to the removal of the wreck, in its entirety, from this sensitive environment.
The public is reminded that the 200 metre exclusion zone (PDF file, 139KB) remains in place around the vessel and recovery site. Please respect these restrictions to ensure the safety of responders and the public.
5 February, 4pm
Swells yesterday afternoon dislodged the wrecked vessel from its previous location on the rocks at Nīkau Palm Valley Bay. It is now sitting higher up the beach and is expected to move further in the coming days and settle through the tidal cycle.
This has changed the recovery options available, and the salvage plan is being adapted accordingly. We expect that less internal debris will be released, making collection more straightforward and minimising environmental impact.
All parties involved continue to be committed to the removal of the wreck in its entirety from this sensitive area.
This morning the response team observed a crested penguin (species unconfirmed) that showed signs of potentially being unwell. The wildlife team attempted to capture the penguin to assess its welfare and whether its behaviour was due to contact with oil. After several attempts, they were unable to capture the penguin as it dived under water as soon as it was approached.
After specialist advice from Wildbase, the decision was made to stop efforts to capture it as continuing could have caused distress to the animal. We continue to observe the penguin as part of our wildlife observation plan and will take any necessary action to help distressed wildlife.
2 February, 2pm
Recovery teams attempted phase one of the two phase removal operation this morning, however the hull has settled hard on a large rock and was unable to be moved into deeper water as planned. Forecast bad weather for the next two days means recovery efforts will be paused. All efforts have been made to retrieve hazardous and loose materials from the wreck.
All parties involved continue to be committed to the removal of the wreck, in its entirety from this sensitive area.
Debris collection and environmental monitoring will continue, and the 200 metre exclusion zone (PDF file, 139KB) remains in place. We ask all water users to respect these restrictions to ensure the safety of responders and the public.
2 February, 9am
Preliminary assessment
Initial assessments undertaken on Monday show the vessel has sustained more significant damage than originally anticipated. It is likely that the full amount of marine diesel fuel that was on the vessel has been released to the sea; observations are showing us that the environment is coping with the release of this fuel, with sheens decreasing throughout the day.
Wildlife specialists are on standby, and precautions are in place to mitigate any potential impacts to the surrounding environment. No wildlife in distress has been observed at this time.
Recovery planning underway
We are working closely with iwi partners, the Department of Conservation, the vessel owner and specialist salvage team to progress a safe and coordinated recovery operation.
Our focus is on protecting the environment and ensuring the recovery is carried out safely and in a way that minimises further risk to the environment.
“This is a complex operation, and we appreciate the support of all agencies and the local community as we work through the safest approach,” said Emma Parr, Regional On‑Scene Commander.
Current planning indicates the recovery will occur in two phases:
- Phase 1: Moving the vessel into deeper water, where it can be submerged in a controlled manner to prevent further structural damage from wind and sea conditions. This is anticipated to happen over the next 24 hours.
- Phase 2: Once stabilised, the vessel will be lifted and removed from the area. The timing of this will depend on weather, sea conditions, and operational safety requirements.
Exclusion zone remains in place
An exclusion zone continues to be enforced around the vessel, and all non‑response vessels must keep clear to ensure the safety of those working on site.