Marine tracking shows that troubled container ship MV Shiling is being towed to Tasman Bay, following a night drifting off the coast of Farewell Spit.
A Maritime New Zealand spokesperson confirmed MV Shiling is on its way to shore on Saturday morning, but would not disclose the location.
The spokesperson said they would provide an update in the early afternoon.
On the Marine Traffic website, the boat can be seen moving towards Tasman Bay, which is listed as its destination.
READ MORE:
* Powerless 66,000 tonne ship drifted over shallow Wellington sandbank
* No incident in past 50 years where open water tugs needed until Kaitaki near miss
* Tug concerns in Kaitaki mayday highlighted long before ferry drifted towards rocks
A tug boat spent the night keeping the MV Shiling in place, after the 66,000-tonne cargo ship was left drifting and powerless on Friday.
The boat was situated north-west of Farewell Spit, at the top of the South Island, and put out a mayday call at 11am on Friday.
The 24 crew on board the MV Shiling were prepared to abandon the drifting ship.
The Defence Force, which had a plane above the MV Shiling, described the stricken vessel “drifting in rolling seas”.
Lottie McCloy/Supplied
The MV Shiling container ship began being tugged on Friday evening.
A C-130 Hercules was diverted to the ship on Friday at the request of Maritime NZ’s Rescue Coordination Centre, as well as an Air Force NH90 helicopter.
On Friday evening the tug, Skandi Emerald, came from Taranaki to take the ship under tow.
The Skandi Emerald arrived on scene at 4.27pm, and started connecting up with the Shiling at 4.42pm.
Following this, the mayday call was lifted, and rescue helicopters and other emergency services who were ready to respond left the scene.
Once the MV Shiling reaches the shore it will be assessed for repair, despite the boat’s recent repair job in April after breaking down in Wellington Heads.
It was then cleared to leave Wellington on Thursday, before striking severe weather and having to take shelter.
A Maritime New Zealand Incident Response Team which was stood up to manage the incident will continue to monitor the situation. A Maritime NZ investigation is under way.