Salvors have been unable to find any trace of 22 containers known to be carrying contaminants
According to Fairfax NZ News, the grounding of the Rena has resulted in tonnes of rubbish and globules of oil washing up on local beaches throughout 2012.
Salvors have been unable to find any trace of 22 containers known to be carrying contaminants that were on the stern of the Rena when it sank off the Bay of Plenty.
In a statement today, the group still working on the clean-up said scientists from the Cawthron Institute, working with the Rena recovery monitoring team, would be carrying out further sampling and testing of water and sediment samples.
“This will then confirm possible solutions to remediate contaminated areas, currently known to be in close proximity to the wreck,” Captain John Owen of insurers The Swedish Club said.
The Rena grounded on Astrolabe Reef in October 2011, and last January split in two, with the back section gradually sinking.
Most of the bow section of the container ship remained above the water level, and was being removed to one metre below the low tide mark by salvage company Resolve Salvage & Fire.
A decision has yet to be made on what will happen with the remainder of the wreck after that work is done.
The salvage group said a dive survey of the sunken stern section and its cargo had been completed.
Of 36 remaining containers that had been carrying known contaminants in the stern section, many had broken up and their contents had escaped, the salvage company said.
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Source: Stuff.co.nz