Missing vessel's crew thought on maiden journey

The three crew on the missing Nelson fishing boat Mi Jay may never have been out on the vessel before.

There has been no contact with the boat since it left Nelson on November 22 intending to head for fishing grounds off the Canterbury coast.

An extensive aerial search on Tuesday and checks with various ports have failed to find any trace of the boat.

Their disappearance has prompted a call for regular contact from fishing boats to be mandatory.

Authorities have confirmed that the skipper of the 13m Mi Jay is fisherman Paul Rees, 51.

It is understood one of the other men on board is Nelson man Cedric Mathews, although his name has not been officially released.

Local woman Moira Petersen, a good friend of Mr Mathews, said today that all three on board the Mi Jay were experienced fishermen.

However, it was Mr Mathews' first trip on the vessel and she believed it might have been the first time the other two men had also gone out fishing on it.

Ms Petersen said that although small, the Mi Jay was a strong steel-hulled boat.

"I don't think it would be something that would be sunk easily," she said.

"Something would have had to hit it, or they would have had to hit something."

Marine Radio operator Sandy Johnson said some fishing vessels had to go a long way off the New Zealand coast to target some species and she believed it should be made mandatory for smaller fishing vessels to have to report in regularly.

That would allow authorities to know roughly where to search for them if they had to, she said.

Rescue Co-ordination Centre mission coordinator Dave Wilson said despite Mi Jay having plenty of fuel and good communications equipment, concern was mounting.

Centre spokesman Steve Corbett said until the centre could further define the area the Mi Jay might be in it could not launch another aerial search.

Mi Jay owner, Warwick Loader, director of Crusader Fisheries, lost his other fishing boat Ma Marie in January when it when it sank off the West Coast while fishing for tuna.

- nzpa