Wrecked uninsured boats: Expensive clean-ups an issue for Northland

The scene when the coastguard arrived to rescue two men from the trimaran Moana Nui, which was wrecked on rocks at Motueka/Flat Island in November. Photo / supplied

Two yachties rescued after they sailed into an island off Northland’s east coast must pay for clean-up costs for their vessel’s wreckage.

Some of it washed ashore, other bits are still lying on the sea bed.

The 10.4m trimaran Moana Nui was wrecked off the northwest corner of Motueka/Flat Island on November 9 after one of its three hulls snapped off on rocks and the vessel filled with water.

Northland harbourmaster Jim Lyle said the cause of the grounding wasn’t known but human error by those onboard had not been ruled out.

Lyle said the incident was the third this year of a type becoming a big issue for Northland.

People without sailing experience were buying boats, not bothering to insure them, then trying to sail down the coast, and crashing into rocks.

It was putting lives at risk, endangering the environment, and often causing a lot of costs for the regional council.

He warned all boat owners to ensure they had at least wreck-removal insurance before taking to the water.

The Moana Nui's name plate later washed up on Tokerau Beach. Photo / Supplied

Lyle said too many people were willing to risk sailing an uninsured boat while oblivious to the enormous costs they would face if their boat got wrecked - often more than the boat was worth.

It generally cost about $10,000 for recovery of wreckage just from a small boat. If contract divers and barges were needed, the bill could go up another $20,000.

Owners were responsible for any clean-up. If they failed to do it, the Northland Regional Council had to step in and seek to recover its costs afterwards.

Those costs were often far more than a vessel was worth, Lyle said. He’d known of costs that had run to 10 times more.

The two men on the Moana Nui, understood to be from Whangaroa, were not inexperienced sailors but their boat was uninsured.

The two crewmen claimed there were larger than normal swells that day but conditions were officially recorded as flat and calm.

Coastguard rescued them that afternoon. Lyle subsequently issued the men a wreck notice, requiring them to remove any debris within a certain timeframe.

However, that task seemed to have fallen to the regional council, Lyle said. Council staff had so far spent two and a half days removing wreckage from the island and various beaches, including Tokerau Beach on the Karikari Peninsula. Costs had already run to $6000 and would increase markedly if divers were needed to retrieve the boat’s engine and other wreckage from the sea bed.

It was important to salvage wreckage as it harmed the environment and posed a navigational risk for other vessels. Fortunately, the Moana Nui had not leaked oil, which was often an additional hazard, Lyle said.

Costs would be sought. If not recovered, the council would have to bear the debt as it had when a beneficiary from another region ran his boat aground in Northland recently.

Some of the debris that washed up on Northland’s Tokerau Beach after the Moana Nui ran aground and wrecked at Motueke/Flat Island in early November. Photo / supplied

Meanwhile, Tokerau Beach local Ian Burke had stepped in to help clean up the wreckage there.

Burke and a neighbour noticed pieces of the vessel washing ashore about a week after the incident.

“It just kept coming - squabs and broken pieces of painted ply and framing, some fibreglass and a few bits of perspex etc.

“My neighbour found its [the boat’s] name on a piece of the wreckage.”

Burke said he was concerned about the debris littering the beach so starting picking it up in a trailer. In doing so, he met a council staff member who’d already filled his vehicle.

The council said all recovered wreckage was taken to a refuse transfer station.

Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, much of which she spent court reporting. She is passionate about covering stories that make a difference