Attempts are under way to suffocate the fires still burning on the Korean fishing vessel in the Port of Timaru.

Towing a burning Korean fishing boat out to sea from the Port of Timaru has been deemed too dangerous.

The 70-metre Dong Won 701 caught fire while docked at the port on Monday night and authorities have been struggling to extinguish the fires since.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) South Canterbury area manager Steven Greenyer revealed on Friday that one option considered was towing it out to sea, but this has been deemed too dangerous.

1 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF Water is sprayed on the fishing vessel Dong Won 701 that is on fire in the Port of Timaru. 2 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF Water is sprayed on the fishing vessel Dong Won 701 that is on fire in the Port of Timaru. 3 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF 13042018 News JOHN BISSET/STUFF. Ship fire The fishing vessel Dong Won 701 is still smoking as firefighters continue efforts to extinguish the fire. 4 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF Water is sprayed on the fishing vessel Dong Won 701 that is on fire in the Port of Timaru. 5 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF Firefighters on board the Dong Won 701 that caught fire while docked in the Port of Timaru on April 9, 2018. 6 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF Firefighters prepared to board the Dong Won 701, a Korean fishing boat that caught fire in the Port of Timaru on April 9, 2108. 7 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF Water is sprayed on the fishing vessel Dong Won 701 that is on fire in the Port of Timaru. 8 of 20 DOUG FIELD/STUFF Steam and smoke can be seen rising from the Korean fishing vessel Dong Won 701 at the port of Timaru on April 11, 2018. 9 of 20 DOUG FIELD/STUFF Water is sprayed on the burning fishing vessel Dong Won 701 at the Port of Timaru on April 11, 2018. 10 of 20 DOUG FIELD/STUFF Water is sprayed on the burning fishing vessel Dong Won 701 at the Port of Timaru on April 11, 2018. 11 of 20 DOUG FIELD/STUFF Water is sprayed on the burning fishing vessel Dong Won 701 at the Port of Timaru on April 11, 2018. 12 of 20 DOUG FIELD/STUFF Water is sprayed on the burning fishing vessel Dong Won 701 at the Port of Timaru on April 11, 2018. 13 of 20 DOUG FIELD/STUFF Water is sprayed on the burning fishing vessel Dong Won 701 at the Port of Timaru on April 11, 2018. 14 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF Water is sprayed on the burning fishing vessel Dong Won 701 at the Port of Timaru on April 10, 2018. 15 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF Water is sprayed on the burning fishing vessel Dong Won 701 at the Port of Timaru on April 10, 2018. 16 of 20 AURORA BOURASSA/SUPPLIED The Korean fishing vessel Dong Won 701 on fire at the Port of Timaru on April 9, 2018. 17 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF The Korean fishing vessel Dong Won 701 on fire at the Port of Timaru on April 9, 2018. 18 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF The Korean fishing vessel Dong Won 701 on fire at the Port of Timaru on April 9, 2018. 19 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF The Korean fishing vessel Dong Won 701 on fire at the Port of Timaru on April 9, 2018. 20 of 20 JOHN BISSET/STUFF The Korean fishing vessel Dong Won 701 on fire at the Port of Timaru on April 9, 2018.

"We had permission to tow the ship out to sea, but when you've got a major fire on the front part of the ship, you can't tow it forward... towing it from the stern would have meant turning the ship around into the wind meaning the fire would have come back into the rest of the ship and also placed the tugs in danger," Greenyer said.

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"The other issue was if we towed it out and it sinks in the channel then that closes the port, so that was really a last option.

JOHN BISSET/STUFF A close up of fire damage to the Korean fishing boat, Dong Won 701, in the Port of Timaru.

"If the ship had to sink then it's better that it sinks alongside here (the wharf), rather than out in the channel."

PrimePort chief executive Phil Melhopt said port operations were largely back to normal. There were no more delays to ships arriving in port, he said.

"We're mostly out of the woods, but there is still a lot of work going on to smother the two fires," Melhopt said.

JOHN BISSET/STUFF The fishing vessel Dong Won 701 is still smoking as firefighters continue efforts to extinguish the fire.

Greenyer said the fires had been contained but there were two still burning in the ship and attempts to suffocate them began on Friday.

"One is still burning in the cargo hold, while another is in the front the boat."

Greenyer said things like the port holes and doors were being sealed up to help starve the fires of oxygen.

DOUG FIELD Korean fishing vessel Dong Won 701 at Timaru Port

"We're still finishing work to try and smother the fire.

"We're also using a sealing agent (high expansion foam) to seal up doors and any holes so we can starve the fires of air, and then they're more likely to go out.

"The accommodation area of the ship and half of the internal area is burnt-out or badly damaged. The rear part of the ship is still intact."

JOHN BISSET/STUFF At least five fire crews battle a blaze on a fishing vessel at the Port of Timaru on Monday night.

A tug boat carrying firefighters is also still being used to cool the sides of the ship.

"We anticipate that this will take some time to fully extinguish."​

Greenyer said about 20 fire crew members were still attending the blaze, with some coming from as far south as Dunedin.

MYTCHALL BRANSGROVE/STUFF The fishing vessel Dong Won 701 photographed at 11.20am on Thursday at the Timaru Port. It is still smoking as the fire onboard remains to be extinguished.

As the battle to extinguish the fires continued, Environment Canterbury (ECan) has declared a Tier 2 response, under the Maritime Transport Act 1994, which allows it to manage the potential risk of oil or other contaminants getting into the harbour water.

"We have trained responders closely monitoring the situation and will mobilise them should the need arise," said ECan's on-scene commander for marine oil spills, Richard Purdon.

"In addition specialised containment and collection equipment is in place and ready for use if needed.

MYTCHALL BRANSGROVE/STUFF More than 20 fire crew and a host of Timaru Port and Environment Canterbury are attending the ship's fire.

"For now it's a monitoring operation. No oil has escaped from the fishing boat."

Fenz is continuing to douse the fire from the outside to reduce the risk the boat could move or sink.

"The area close to the boat is considered too dangerous for our responders to work in. As soon it is safe to do so, we will deploy a boom around the vessel to contain any potential spill, reducing the risk of environmental harm," Purdon said.

The Dong Won 701 is owned by Dong Won Fisheries and the company's chief executive, Tae Wang, said on Wednesday it was continuing to work with the port and safety authorities while also attending to the welfare of the ship's crew.</s>Wellington (New Zealand) (AFP) - New Zealand is halting all new offshore oil and gas exploration to become a global leader in the fight against climate change, the centre-left government said Thursday, but opponents accused it of "economic vandalism".

"(We are) taking an important step to address climate change and create a clean, green and sustainable future for New Zealand," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.

The oil and gas industry in New Zealand generates about NZ$2.5 billion a year ($1.8 billion), including NZ$1.5 billion in exports, and employs about 11,000 people.

Ardern said existing drilling and exploration permits would not be affected, meaning no existing jobs would be lost.

She said there would also be limited new on-shore permits around the North Island's Taranaki region, where most of New Zealand industry is concentrated.

"We're striking the right balance for New Zealand -- we're protecting existing industry and protecting future generations from climate change," she said.

The move by New Zealand comes two weeks after the Netherlands announced plans to rapidly cut production at -- and eventually close -- Europe's biggest gas field as it too seeks to its slash fossil fuel use.

Ardern campaigned heavily on environmental issues when she won a general election last year and is in a three-way coalition government that includes the Greens.

She said she saw the impact of climate change first-hand last month when she visited the cyclone-ravaged Pacific island nations of Samoa and Tonga.

This, she said, underscored the fact that climate change was real and New Zealand needed to be at the forefront of efforts to address it.

"We?ve been a world leader on critical issues... by being nuclear free, the first to support women to vote," she said.

"Now we could be a world leader in becoming carbon neutral. We owe this to future generations."

The government said there were currently 31 oil and gas exploration permits, with 22 of them offshore.

Environmental groups welcomed the move, with Greenpeace declaring "the tide has turned irreversibly against Big Oil in New Zealand".

"This is a huge step forward for New Zealand and a landmark moment in the transition to a clean-energy economy," WWF New Zealand chief Livia Esterhazy said.

But the conservative opposition National Party accused Ardern of "economic vandalism" that could put thousands of jobs at risk.

Opposition energy spokesman Jonathan Young said gas helped ensure New Zealand's electricity supply and when existing reserves ran out in 10 years it would be forced to import emissions-heavy alternatives such as coal.

"This decision is devoid of any rationale. It certainly has nothing to do with climate change," he said.

"These changes will simply shift production elsewhere in the world, not reduce emissions."

New Plymouth mayor Neil Holdom said the decision was "a kick in the guts" for the Taranaki region.

"Nobody's going to be losing their jobs overnight but in terms of the long-term outlook for those industries... people are going 'my career doesn't actually have a future'," he told Radio New Zealand.

Industry group Petroleum Exploration and Production NZ (PEPANZ) said it had been blindsided by the announcement and had not been consulted by the government.

Chief executive Cameron Madgwick said a well-managed trading scheme was the way to reduce New Zealand's emissions, not "arbitrarily banning" certain fuel types.

"We now join the elite club of Belize, Costa Rica and France that have banned exploration. I don't think that's really the way the world's going," he told TV3.

Ardern said industry had been given plenty of time to adjust to changes in the sector that were a long-term necessity.

"Transitions have to start somewhere and unless we make decisions today that will essentially take place in thirty years time, we risk abrupt shocks," she said.
The fire aboard Korean ship FV Dong Won 701 in the Port of Timaru, New Zealand, enters its fifth day. Fire and Emergency New Zealand rejects a proposal to tow the vessel out to sea as too dangerous. Firefighters commence efforts to seal the ship to suffocate ongoing fires.