Aussie billionaire's superyacht contaminates Auckland's waterfront

A red substance discoloured the water around James Packer's superyacht.
A red substance discoloured the water around James Packer's superyacht. Photo credit: Michael Field/supplied

Australian billionaire James Packer has been issued a warning by Auckland Council after a red substance fouled the water around his superyacht.

The entertainment tycoon made news earlier in the week after he suddenly resigned as director of casino company Crown Resorts, citing mental illness.

His superyacht, the 87m Arctic P, is berthed at Auckland's Wynyard Quarter and Newshub understands work was being done scrubbing the hull, which resulted in red paint discolouring the surrounding water.

This is the type of work that is usually done while the vessel is at dry dock.

Auckland Council inspected the vessel on Thursday and found it had breached the Resource Management Act, issuing an abatement notice advising the captain to stop all works until they get a resource consent.

Newshub.