Salvors may continue to remove containers from the vessel
The exclusion zone around the stranded container ship Rena has been reduced, allowing charter operators and others access to the popular coastal area as salvors continue to remove containers from the vessel.
Salvors removed 31 containers of 1280 left on the ship on Friday. The Rena grounded on Astrolabe Reef off the coast of Tauranga on October 5. It was carrying 1368 containers when it grounded and 88 containers have fallen off the ship.
The weather is fine in the region on Saturday and salvors are continuing their work, Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) says.
Clean-up operations will also continue on Leisure Island, Matakana Island, Mount Maunganui, Papamoa and the Kaituna River Mouth, MNZ says.
The Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s harbourmaster has reduced the exclusion zone to three nautical miles around the ship.
The new zone was put in place from midnight on Friday.
About 350 tonnes of oil leaked from the ship.
Source: Maritime NZ