The salvage operation for a wrecked boat off the Canterbury coast has been abandoned.
Divers had been working overnight to fit buoyancy bags to the FV Jubilee so it could be floated and taken to Lyttelton, but some of the bags are damaged.
Three people were killed when the boat sank in October last year.
Transport Accident Investigation Commission spokesperson Roger Foley says there'll be another attempt in a couple of weeks.
“The whole operation was going well [but] the weather system has changed, they’re in the southerly swell, a bit hard for the salvors to handle. They’re packing up from the site at the moment with the intention of returning when they’ve got some new bags.”"The boats are returning to Lyttleton and Timaru. The Salvor has ordered new bags from Britain, they're going to take a week to arrive."
The salvage operation was ordered after the Transport Accident Investigation Commission opened an inquiry into the sinking late last year.
Newshub.
