Commercial fishing vessel refloats after running aground Auckland’s Ōrākei Marina

A commercial fishing vessel that ran aground in Auckland’s Ōrākei Marina after skipper missed tide timings while refuelling has successfully been refloated and departed.

Marina operations manager Matt Bourne said the vessel refloated and left the marina around 9.30pm.

“It refloated itself when the high tide came back in,” he said.

Marina manager Jason Snashall yesterday told the Herald the vessel berthed shortly before high tide to refuel on Sunday and over estimated how much time he had past full tide to depart.

“The skipper was just looking to get some cheap fuel at Gull and then he went downstairs and had a cup of tea and missed his timing,” he said.

Snashall said this vessel in particular had a “huge” boat draft – the minimum amount of water required to float the vessel without it touching the bottom.

The vessel, named Ornefjeld and sailing under the flag of New Zealand, has an overall length of 22m and width of 6m.

A commercial fishing vessel has run aground in Auckland’s Ōrākei Marina after its skipper missed tide timings while refuelling. Photo / Grant Lamont

The vessel's skipper was allegedly having a cup of tea at the marina and missed tide timings to depart. Photo / Grant Lamont

He described it as an “unusually deep vessel” and expressed it wasn’t a standard marina for vessels of that size to refuel, and that private vessels don’t have a problem berthing there.

He said it was the first time this had happened at the marina.

He added it was headed to Vanuatu.

The vessel, named Ornefjeld and sailing under the flag of New Zealand, has an overall length of 22m and width of 6m. Photo / Grant Lamont

Images of the grounded vessel show it on a spectacular angle on Sunday afternoon. Photo / Grant Lamont

Images of the grounded vessel show it on a spectacular angle on Sunday afternoon.

One fisherman said he saw the vessel while driving into the marina about 9am and then saw it stuck and on its side when he returned about 4pm.

“I must say I was very surprised this morning that they were bringing it into the marina due to its size and being a commercial boat,” the fisherman said.