Posted: 18 December 2006
Regional Council approves frigate sinking
Resource consent has been granted to sink the frigate HMNZS Canterbury as an artificial reef and dive attraction at Deep Water Cove in the outer Bay of Islands.
The Northland Regional Council has granted the Bay of Islands Charitable Trust Incorporated the resource consents needed to sink the frigate in 30 metres of water on the northern side of the cove.
The consents - granted for the maximum 35 years permitted under the Resource Management Act – allow the trust to “place, use and occupy space with a ship in the coastal marine area” and install two mooring buoys and a special marker.
The trust plans to use a managed explosive process – together with pre-prepared ‘blow-out’ panels and air vents – to sink the frigate.
However, before it does, the vessel must be cleaned of all contaminants, “including oil, unwanted organisms registered under the Biosecurity Act 1993, and salvageable equipment that might otherwise attract post-sinking scavenging”. The Canterbury cannot even be towed into Northland waters until the Council has written confirmation that its hull is free of any unwanted marine organisms.
In its decision, the Regional Council noted three other large vessels (the former Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior and ex-navy vessels the Tui and Waikato) had already been sunk along Northland’s east coast.
While Council staff urged caution against a proliferation of vessels sunk around the Northland coastline, they noted that the three ships already sunk, together with the Canterbury, would not between them create more than minor adverse environmental effects.
The Council noted there were three main concerns about the proposed sinking;
• the potential for effects on marine mammals during the sinking
• the potential for the introduction of unwanted organisms into Northland
• ensuring that the vessel is free from any contaminants such as hydrocarbons.
However, the Council says these concerns can be adequately controlled and mitigated by consent conditions.
“In considering the actual and potential effects associated with the proposal, it is concluded that the granting of this consent will promote the sustainable management of natural and physical resources. The proposal also includes elements associated with enabling the local community to provide for its social, economic and cultural wellbeing.”