Passengers and crew rescued after vessel struck rock

The 78ft fishing/passenger vessel Torea, with 26 persons on board (23 passengers, three crew), struck a rock and was taking on water east of Green Island in Foveaux Strait. The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) was notified of the incident at 12:30pm today and has been monitoring the situation.

The skipper made the decision to try to ground the vessel on nearby Ruapuke Island. This was done successfully and all on board disembarked onto land without incident.

Initial response was provided by two Coastguard vessels from Bluff and Riverton, and three winch-capable helicopters – two from Dunedin and one from Te Anau. Five fishing vessels in the area were also en route to provide assistance.

However, given the developing situation and the fact there were no reports of injuries, this response was scaled down. The Bluff Coastguard vessel has ferried passengers and crew from the Torea back to Bluff.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) and Maritime New Zealand are making preliminary inquiries.

Please note: this information supercedes any issued to media earlier this afternoon. Given the situation is now resolved, there will be no further updates issued.