KEY POINTS:
A hazardous 10-tonne object drifting in New Zealand's busiest shipping lane off the Northland coast has been identified as the 15m stern section of a Taiwanese fishing boat lost in the Pacific Ocean five years ago.
It was recovered at the weekend in a carefully planned operation because of the danger it posed to shipping.
The wreckage was also found to be carrying a mix of tropical marine species - crabs, fish and sea urchins - that were a potential biosecurity risk to New Zealand waters.
When the object was seen drifting off the Bay of Islands early last week, it was thought to be a lost shipping container.
Only about 150cm of the box-shaped wreckage could be seen above water when Northland Regional Council maritime staff found it 18km off Cape Brett on March 5.
The council was alerted by the National Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Wellington that a container was drifting in the busy shipping lane off the Bay of Islands, posing a navigation hazard.
Regional harbourmaster Ian Niblock said the wreckage did initially appear to be a shipping container.
It was towed to a safe position about 4km off Cape Brett, marked and anchored.
Divers sent to find out what cargo the "container" might have held soon identified it as part of a ship.
The council has since learned that the stern section is from a Taiwanese fishing boat lost somewhere in the Pacific five years ago.
Northland police have been told of the discovery, but the council will not name the vessel.
Mr Niblock said this was because the circumstances of the ship's loss, and whether any crew members died, were not known.
Out of respect for crew and their families, no further information about the vessel would be given until details of its loss were clarified.
Mr Niblock said no bodies were found in the wreckage but the discovery had been referred to Kaikohe police to ensure there had been "no foul play involved".
Samples of marine life were collected from the wreckage late last week for identification and to guard against any biosecurity threat before the wreck was lifted by crane on to a barge.
It is now on a slipway in an Opua boat yard for further inspection, sampling and assessment.
Mr Niblock said that when this was completed, the wreck would be moved to a more secure place.
At this stage, it appears none of the marine species from the wreck pose any immediate biosecurity threat, although marine scientists are continuing an analysis.
He said the council was pleased to have averted risks to the region's people, property and environment.
"I hate to think what could have happened if this wreckage had continued to drift through busy shipping lanes or towards the internationally significant Poor Knights Islands marine reserve," Mr Niblock said.
- NZPA
