KEY POINTS:
An investigation has been launched after a body was discovered on board a large fishing boat at Napier.
Police said today the crew of ocean-going fishing vessel Pacific Explorer had found a decomposed body in the boat's anchor locker.
The body was likely to have been in the locker for months, Detective Senior Sergeant Bill Gregory said.
While police were relatively happy the death was not suspicious, an investigation had been launched into the cause of death before it could be reported to the coroner, he said.
Identification of the body would have to be done forensically.
"We've got a reasonable line of inquiry as to the identification of the body, and we're in contact with an Auckland family," Mr Gregory said.
However, a positive identification was unlikely to be done for several days.
Mr Gregory said the vessel had two anchor lockers, but only one was used regularly.
The one the body was found in was a back-up anchor, and had not been used for at least a couple of years.
The crew was doing a routine check of the locker when the body was found.
The locker was about 2.5m high, with an entry hatch measuring about 60cm by 45cm.
Mr Gregory said police would be interviewing the crew today, and conducting some inquiries in Auckland.
The Pacific Explorer had a crew of about five, Mr Gregory said.
It had come into port to discharge its catch.
- NZPA
