A skimmer cleans oil from the sea at Careys Bay in Port Chalmers. Photo: Supplied/ Otago Regional Council
More than 3300 litres of oily water has been removed after a spill from a sunken boat near Dunedin.
The 18m, 60 tonne vessel sank at its wharf berth at Careys Bay in Port Chalmers on Tuesday.
Otago Regional Council deputy harbourmaster Pete Dryden said two mechanical skimmers had been cleaning up the spill since then.
"The extent of the oily water is dependent on the tides, but we're hoping this will be the last day we need to skim," Dryden said.
The spill did not appear to have damaged the environment or threatened any wildlife, he said.
"We'll continue to monitor the area for the next few days and assess whether there have been any impacts."
This is the first time the council has been involved in cleaning up this type of spill, despite practicing with skimmers, which were made available by Maritime New Zealand's Pollution Response unit.
The oily water that has been removed is being stored onshore, before being treated and disposed of.
The boat owner is responsible for salvaging the vessel, which the council will monitor.
