Black Cat crew 'not confident' to operate pump, as tourist boat floods

Forty-one people were at risk of "significant harm", when a tourist boat struck a submerged object near Akaroa and began flooding.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission has released new details, while probing the grounding and evacuation of the Black Cat Cruises catamaran during calm conditions on 31 January.

The catamaran ran into difficulty, while taking tourists to see the local Akaroa wildlife with 38 passengers and three crew onboard.

"This was a serious accident, where 41 people were at risk of significant harm, drawing heightened public interest," the commission said.

A crew member noticed the boat was approaching Archway Rock from an unusual direction and went to flag their concerns, when a bump was felt.

When water started flooding the engineroom, the commission said a bilge-pump was not activated, despite attempts made by the crew, because they were not confident in how to operate it properly.

No-one was injured, but an attempt to refloat and recover the vessel failed, and it was deemed a total loss.

It was a calm day when the catamaran started navigating towards Archway Rock from Scenery Nook, just after noon.

Two crew members were talking in the main cabin, when one of them noticed they were approaching from an "unusual direction" and went to raise their concerns with the catamaran's master.

The other crew member took photos of the view, when a bump was felt and there was a scraping sound, prompting them to head to the bridge shortly after 12.12pm.

The commission said the geo-location data aligned with an underwater rock on the chart at an unknown depth.

Originally, the master thought they might have hit a crayfish pot float, but the bilge alarm activated about a minute later.

The master headed towards the engineroom, opening the door to discover water at the top of the engine.

They closed and secured the door, and headed back to the bridge, with smoke or steam visibly entering the main cabin from the engineer room, as the catamaran passed the Akaroa Harbour entrance.

The master called two nearby company vessels on the very-high-frequency radio, planning to reach a safe beach to evacuate the vessel, despite limited options.

They chose the beach at Nikau Palm Valley and started navigating there, when the steering, CCTV and PA systems failed, along with the starboard engine and propulsion system.

The master told the crew to start the engine-driven bilge-pump system, but they were not confident in operating the system correctly and they did not get it working.

They left to re-assure passengers, and help them into lifejackets and onto the bridge deck on the port side. Within 10-15 minutes, several other vessels had arrived to assist.

The master used the radio to broadcast a urgent message at 12.32pm, saying there were 38 people on board the Black Cat that was taking on water just south of Dan Rogers Bluff and asking other stations to limit traffic, while they co-ordinated a response.

Smoke or steam filled the cabin and the catamaran listed heavily.

An evacuation from the main deck started soon after, with smaller vessels ferrying groups to larger ones.

The commission noted the evacuation was completed without significant issues by 12.40pm.

The master and one crew member remained on board to check all passengers had been evacuated, and to navigate towards the beach at Nikau Palm Gully.

A local coastguard vessel brought a portable petrol-powered water pump to help clear water from the catamaran, setting it up as water sloshed on the aft deck.

Apart from the master, the remaining people onboard decided to evacuate, when seawater started flowing over a protective barrier and onto the aft deck area.

The master shut down the port engine and evacuated onto a jet ski, as the Black Cat grounded again near the beach at 12.47pm.

Everybody was safely taken back to Akaroa.

Canterbury's regional council - Environment Canterbury - declared an oil-spill response at 1.45pm and has since informed the commission that the environmental impact was minimal.

Over the following days, Black Cat Cruises tried unsuccessfully to salvage the vessel, which broke up in bad weather, and all safe-to-collect fragments were recovered by 19 March.

The commission noted the master was issued an Australian Skipper 3 certificate of competency in 1988, before working on several different vessels and sailing as the master of the Black Cat on 1 December 2025.

One crew member joined the Black Cat in 2012, while the other started as crew in November 2025.

The commission's investigation is ongoing.