20 December 2005
Maritime New Zealand has launched an accident investigation into the loss of the commercial fishing vessel Mi Jay and its three crew.
The life raft belonging to the Mi Jay, containing the bodies of two crewmembers was found off the Kaikoura coast yesterday.
Director of Maritime NZ, Russell Kilvington, says it’s too early to speculate where the life raft may have drifted from, and for how long it was drifting.
“We are presently awaiting information from the post mortem examination and a scientific analysis of the life raft, which should reveal how long the life raft may have been in the water. This will allow the Rescue Coordination Centre NZ to reconstruct the drift of the life raft, which should give a better indication of where the Mi Jay may have, presumably, foundered.
“The search was also made difficult by the lack of information about where the crew went fishing, and also because the vessel was not reported missing until 14 days after it left Nelson,” he said.
The Maritime NZ investigation is likely to take some time. As part of its standard procedures, RCCNZ will review its search over the coming month.
It is expected the NZ Police will shortly confirm the identity of the two men, and other information from the post mortem.
For further information contact:
Maritime New Zealand Media Line
Phone 04 499 7318
