Damaged boat removed from Milford Sound

A sunken boat has been removed from Deep Water Basin in Milford Sound.

The boat sank on Monday 14 September following an on-board fire. Bad weather and road closures hampered attempts to refloat and remove the boat until Thursday, 8 October.

To refloat the boat, divers attached nine 2 tonne lift bags and inflated them, while also pumping out excess water to reduce its weight. On Thursday (8/10) it was hauled up the boat ramp.

Environment Southland harbourmaster Lyndon Cleaver said the boat was successfully refloated and removed with no complications.

“It was a success – the divers ensured everything went to plan and there was no debris or sign of contamination in the water as the boat was removed,” he said.

“It was a great effort from the salvage team, who had to deal with Milford Sound’s unpredictable weather in the lead-up to the removal.”

There was evidence of small amounts of contamination on the water at the time of the fire. The booms put in place to capture that contamination have also been removed from the water.

The boat has been disassembled and removed from Milford Sound for disposal.