Fishing boat on fire off the Canterbury coast: Update #3

All 43 crew of the 64m New Zealand fishing boat Amaltal Columbia, owned by Talley’s, have abandoned ship and been transferred to two other fishing vessels following a fire on board, approximately 70km north-east of Lyttelton Heads.

A total of 39 members of the crew are now safely on board the Russian fishing vessel, the Ivan Golubets, which initially responded to the mayday call from the vessel.

Four other crew have been transferred the San Discovery, which subsequently arrived at the scene.

The crew are being taken to Lyttelton.

No injuries have been reported.

The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) received an urgency call from the Amaltal Columbia at 5.20am today alerting them to the fire – this was elevated to a mayday call at approximately 5.40am.

The fire started in the stern of the vessel and spread throughout the vessel.

Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator Tracy Brickles said the safe transfer of crew off the vessel was an excellent result.

“The priority in these situations is always the safety of the crew. This is a good result in difficult conditions with winds of 30 knots and a swell of 4m. We would thank the masters of the Ivan Golubets and the San Discovery for their prompt response.”

RCCNZ will continue to monitor the Amaltal Columbia, which remains the responsibility of the owner.

Family members seeking information should call:  03 548 0109

Note: No further updates are intended on this incident.