Petrol almost certainly leaked from flaws in the i-Catcher's fuel system, a new report says. Photo: Stuff / Chris Skelton
The owners of recreational boats can't be forced to improve their maintenance in the wake of safety concerns arising from the loss of five lives, an industry expert says.
Five people died when the charter boat i-Catcher, with 11 people on board, capsized off the coast of Kaikōura last September.
A preliminary report, released yesterday, identified that petrol almost certainly leaked from flaws in the 8 metre aluminium pontoon's fuel system.
The five people who died all showed symptoms of petrol exposure, consistent with inhaling and absorbing petrol fumes while they were underneath the boat.
Exposure can lead to "confusion, loss of consciousness and sudden death", the report noted.
The i-Catcher had been inspected by five marine surveyors during its 13 years of service, and not a single one picked up any problems.
Now, the Transport Accident Investigation Commission which is overseeing an inquiry into the incident has urged Maritime New Zealand to include a vessel's entire fuel system in boat surveys.
Executive officer for the New Zealand Marine Transport Association Margaret Wind said thousands of boats have been built the same way so this has given rise to safety concerns.
She told Morning Report the risk for people was that if the fuel leaked and there was an air pocket under the boat, because fuel floats, fumes could enter the air pocket, endangering human survival.
"That appears to have been what happened in this instance."
"You can't make people service their boats in the recreational side of things" - NZ Marine Transport Association executive officer Margaret Wind
One survivor had tried to swim under the vessel and the fuel smell was quite noticeable.
Asked how fuel could be prevented from leaking, Wind said the report has highlighted faults with the boat's equipment which has led her to believe there needed to be a ramping up of maintenance systems in both the commercial and recreational fleets.
"With the commercial fleet you can put guidelines in place but with the recreational fleet it's a lot more challenging because it's a voluntary act ...you can't make people service their boats in the recreational side of things but you can with commercial."
For the owners of recreational boats it was like owning a car - regular checks were desirable but not mandatory, she said.
The challenge with the commercial fleet was that more reform than just changing the training guidelines would be needed for boat surveyors.
There was a lot of different interpretations of the rules, she said.
"There hasn't been a lot of training and oversight under the new regs [regulations] as there used to be prior to 2015 when the rules were changed. So it's going to take some peer reviews and some actual physical training in my view to bring that up to speed."
Those who died were: Catherine Margaret Haddock, 65, and Susan Jane Cade, 63, of Lower Hutt, Diana Ruby Stewart, 68, Peter Charles Hockley, 76, and Maureen Patricia Pierre, 75, all of Christchurch. All were members of the Nature Photography Society of New Zealand.