A wildlife response team is on standby as a compromised boat containing over 2000 litres of marine diesel fuel sits beached at Nīkau Palm Valley Bay near Akaroa, Canterbury.

A dolphin sightseeing tour turned sour yesterday when a Black Cat Cruise boat capsized with 38 passengers and three crew members on board.

“A light fuel sheen is visible on the water surrounding the vessel,” Environment Canterbury said in a Facebook post update today.

“A dedicated wildlife team is on standby, and response options will continue to be closely monitored and assessed throughout the day to minimise any environmental impact.”

A Tier 2 incident response was declared yesterday and an exclusion zone is now in place, with all vessels told to stay clear of the area.

The vessel has 2240 litres of marine diesel fuel on board and approximately 120 litres of other oils in sealed containers and engines combined, the post said.

A Black Cat Cruise boat capsized near Akaroa on Saturday.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) have appointed a dedicated investigation team to look into the incident.

TAIC chief investigator of accidents Louise Cook said the agency wanted to hear from people who were on the vessel and anyone who saw what happened.

“We’re particularly keen to receive videos or photographs,” she said.

Coastguard Akaroa volunteers overheard a Pan-Pan call for assistance, arriving 15 minutes later to find other vessels already helping, they told the Herald.

“Upon arrival, several vessels were already assisting with the safe evacuation of those on board.

“Coastguard volunteers attempted to pump water from the Black Cat, but the rate of water ingress was too great to keep up with.”

Pan-Pan is used to indicate that a vessel has a very urgent message to transmit about its safety, such as loss of steering, according to Maritime New Zealand’s radio handbook.

Mayday is used when a vessel or person is in grave and imminent danger and requires immediate assistance.

Maritime New Zealand did not wish to comment on whether protocol was correctly followed.

“We’re still establishing the details of how the incident occurred.”

Coastguard's Ihenga Rescue was already out training on the water when they got the call. Photo / Bevan Conley

Maritime New Zealand’s immediate focus was on potential environmental impacts and recovery of the boat.

“At this stage, we’re currently working through the incident.”

A fishing vessel crew who responded to the distress call said passengers were “pretty frightened” after the boat began taking on water near Akaroa Heads.

“Looked like it was on fire or there was oil pouring out of the engine and creating that smoke,” driver Paul Wright said.

The vessel looked like it was in “serious trouble” with passengers gathered on the top deck wearing life jackets, and smoke was visible near the front of the boat.

Wright’s fishing boat took 15 passengers on board and other nearby boats moved in to assist as well.

The Herald approached Black Cat Cruises for comment, however, the company said it was not speaking to media at the moment.

Sammy Carter is a journalist for the New Zealand Herald covering news in the Wellington region. She has previously worked at the Rotorua Daily Post.