Hawke’s Bay Regional Council continues to manage the effects of a 1500 litre diesel fuel spill in the inner harbour of Napier, which occurred on Friday night.

The spill originated from a fishing vessel moored in the inner harbour, however the reason for the spill is yet to be determined.

The Oil Spill Response team initially deployed booms, and were successful in corralling the fuel oil to a defined area of the harbour, where it was colIected through an oil skimming device.

Much of the oil has been collected, however the team are onsite again today, Saturday, to complete the collection and monitor the site.

The Oil Spill Response team identified an oiled penguin, and called in the Wildlife Recovery Team Leader to recover the bird. There will be a patrol to monitor for any other potentially affected wildlife. The oiled bird has been taken to a vet to be stabilised and a decision will be made on whether to treat the penguin locally or transfer to Massey University’s National Oiled Wildlife Facility for further care.

Incident Controller Bryce Lawrence advises that vessel operators can access the Napier harbour boat ramps and that it is ‘business as usual’ today, however there is a yellow boom in place near the ramps . An oil sheen is apparent on the surface in the area, but will break up naturally over the coming days.

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s Compliance Team will investigate the cause of the diesel spill and take any required action with the vessel’s owners.