Decision due on Shotover Jet

Troubled Queenstown tourist ride operator Shotover Jet expects to make a decision later today about when its jetboat fleet will be back on the water.

The company pulled its boats out of service last Friday for the third time in less than a month over concerns about engine performance.

It said the latest problem related to lead deposits forming on engine parts and causing corrosion. The company began tests on different fuels in a bid to find a solution.

Shotover Jet chief operating officer Tony Warwick said on Friday passenger safety was not an issue, but there were concerns about potential damage to the jetboats' engines if the lead erosion continued.

The company ceased operations voluntarily for six days before Christmas so engineers could assess the boats' on-board engine management computer systems.

It then closed for a week after a January 1 fire that sank a boat at its moorings while the craft was being refuelled as a party of passengers was waiting to board.

The fire, which was caused by fuel vapours igniting in the bilge, prompted Maritime New Zealand to order the boats off the water while Shotover Jet reviewed internal systems and confirmed all boats were fit for use "with particular emphasis on fuel systems".

Mr Warwick said tests showed that avgas fuel used by the company since October was damaging its high-performance engines.

Today Mr Warwick said the company's technical staff had been testing the engines in Dunedin for the last three days.

"Indications are looking positive, but the truth will be when we get the fuel into the boats," he said.

A delivery of 98 octane fuel was expected today and tests with the boats on the water were planned.

"Later this afternoon, we will be making a decision on when we recommence operations," Mr Warwick said.

Shotover Jet runs high-speed thrill rides through the narrow canyons of Central Otago's Shotover River.

- NZPA