Captain had too many fish in net, email says

A fishing vessel sank last week because the captain tried to take on too many fish in one net, survivors told a rescue vessel's crew.

The captain of Talley's Amaltal Atlantis, Greg Lyall, said survivors told his crew the captain of the Oyang 70 would not listen to protests about the fish haul.

Soon after the ship began listing, and water flooded the onboard factory and engine room, Lyall said. Six people were lost when the ship sank 750 kilometres from Dunedin.

Lyall's account is contained in an email passed on to The Press by a spokesman for the NZ Fishing: Keep it Kiwi lobby group, Daren Coulston.

Lyall said the ship went down in 10 minutes on Wednesday and he was told "the captain was standing on the bridge with no lifejacket on and arms folded; he did not want to get off".

"The crew decided for themselves it was time to run for the liferafts. Most were under water and had to swim to the rafts. The skipper refused to wear a lifejacket and wanted to stay on board," he said.

Some crew described the captain as "greedy" or "stupid", said Lyall, who estimated the catch to be 132 tonnes.

Christchurch-based Southern Storm Fishing, which chartered the Oyang 70, would not comment on the reasons for the sinking.

However, a spokesman said the 1600-ton Oyang 70 was a deepwater vessel, built for that environment and type of fishing.

"The captain of the Oyang 70 had experience fishing for southern blue whiting. However, many of the crew had no experience of this fishery, although they did have deep-sea fishing experience."

Talley's Nelson branch chief executive Tony Hazlett confirmed the contents of Lyall's email.

"The things that they heard upset the crew of our vessel. I hope the New Zealand authorities will take note of it," Hazlett said.

The Amaltal Atlantis was among several vessels to respond to a mayday call.

Forty-five crewmen were rescued, but three died. Three other men, including South Korean captain Shin Hyeon Gi, 42, are still missing.

The last injured crew member was released from Christchurch Hospital yesterday.

Thirty-seven Indonesian and Filipino crew members left Christchurch Airport yesterday morning.

Indonesian Dodo, 38, said he was "very happy" to be leaving.

"We are all OK; no problem," he said.

A Filipino crew member said he had been asleep when the Oyang 70 capsized.

Southern Storm Fishing operations manager Russ Barron said all of the crew were in good health, but could not talk about the incident as it was being investigated by the coroner. "They've been fed, they've been clothed, they've been paid, they've been treated, all in accordance with New Zealand law," he said.

Pete Dawson, ship agent for the Oyang 70, said the crew were very apprehensive. "They only had a couple of hours rest after the [Amaltal Atlantis] arrived [at Lyttelton] and then interviews started by the police and the TAIC [Transport Accident Investigation Commission]."

Detective Senior Sergeant John Rae said several South Korean crew remained in Christchurch and police had a "good handle on the story".

A Transport Accident Investigation Commission spokesman had no comment. A report could take up to two years.

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