Tag: New Zealand

MV RENA Updates Salvage teams have pumped all of the oil out of a cargo ship stranded off New Zealand, officials say.The Rena, which got stuck on a reef and was in danger of breaking apart, initially leaked 350 tonnes of oil, killing more than 1,000 sea birds.Salvage operations had been hampered by bad weather, and there were fears of a widespread environmental disaster.But Maritime New Zealand said it had now finished pumping oil and would send in a crane to remove the cargo.There are still about 1,300 containers to be removed from the ship, which will also be moved off the reef. Disbelief to reliefStuart Crosby, mayor of the city of Tauranga, said the result was tremendous."The salvors have done an amazing job under treacherous conditions to avoid an environmental disaster," he said, according to the New Zealand Herald."I guess we've all gone through a series of emotions that we all do in this type of event. There has been disbelief, frustration, anger, and now relief - relief that the oil has been taken away by these great people."The Greek-owned and Liberian-flagged cargo ship ran aground on 5 October on Astrolabe Reef, 22km (14 miles) from Tauranga Harbour on ...

Remaining 300 tonnes of oil still to be pumped off Oil isnowbeing continuouslypumped at a stable rate from the submergednumber 5 starboard fuel oil tank on the grounded container ship Rena, Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) says.As at 3pm today, around 54 tonnesof heavy fuel oil from the tank had been transferred to the adjacent oil tanker Awanuia.MNZ Salvage Unit Manager Arthur Jobard said this left around 300 tonnes of oil still to be pumped off the ship to empty the final and most challenging tank."It is really pleasing to see oil being pumped from this tank," Mr Jobard said."Getting to this point has been incredibly challenging for the salvors. They have worked tirelessly to start removing oil despite setbacks along the way, and this is a significant milestone for the entire operation. "Every tonne of oil they take off the ship is another tonne that will not go into the water."Mr Jobard said the team was now working to speed up the pumping rate from the tank, in an effort to get the oil off as quickly as possible. The team was using a "hot tapping" technique, which is a method of extracting oil from the submerged tank without allowing ...

Rena Update Pockets of air trapped in the Rena's submerged starboard wing tank are believed to be the principal stumbling block preventing pumping of the last 358 tonnes of heavy fuel oil off the vessel Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) said.MNZ salvage advisor Jon Walker, of London Offshore Consultants, said that every time the salvors began pumping oil from the tank, they encountered air and had to spend hours clearing and resetting the system before they could try again. This was extremely frustrating, he said."They keep starting it. They get a flow and then they find they are pumping air so they have to go back, open lines, vent air and reset everything."MNZ Unit Salvage Manager Arthur Jobard said that the salvors had also traced the source of seawater which had been preventing the removal of the remaining 20,000 litres of lubricating oil from the Rena'sengine room storage tank. They were in the process of sealing the vents and would resume pumping the lubricating oil as soon as that was finished.Divers report that there is no apparent change in the condition of the Rena's hull.Container removal contractor Braemar Howells used a helicopter to remove 51 cubic metres of debris from Motiti ...

The head of a Tauranga iwi doubts the Government can afford to keep the beaches and sea clean The head of a Tauranga iwi doubts the Government can afford to keep the beaches and sea clean in the long run, following the grounding of the container ship, Rena.The ship got stuck on a reef off the Bay of Plenty coast over a month ago.Since then, oil has spilt into the sea from the vessel's fuel tanks, polluted the water and beaches, and killed wildlife.Salvors are still working to remove the last of the oil from the vessel.Ngai Te Rangi runanga chair Charlie Tawhiao expects it will be years before the last of the oil in the ocean washes ashore.But he says the trustboard's been assured by the Crown that it will do all it can to try and restore the environment to what it once was.He says he's worried about whether the Government can afford to implement a long-term plan and whether its will to restore the environment will remain after the election.Source: Radio New Zealand

Master and second officer could be jailed over environmental damage from shipwreck Two senior officers from the Rena, the cargo ship grounded on a New Zealand reef for almost a month, are to face further charges, the country's shipping authority has announced.The Rena caused New Zealand's worst environmental crisis after it ran aground on Astrolabe Reef, off Tauranga, nearly three weeks ago, leaking hundreds of tonnes of oil.The master of the Liberian-flagged Rena and its second officer have already been charged with operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk. They were remanded on bail by the Tauranga District Court.The charge carries a maximum fine of NZ$10,000 (US$8,000) or a jail term of up to 12 months.Yesterday Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) said it was laying a further charge against the two men relating to the "discharge of harmful substances from ships or offshore installations".Conviction could mean a fine of $300,000 or two years in prison, as well as a fine of $10,000 for every day the offending continued, said an MNZ statement.The court ordered the identities of the master and second officer to be suppressed and there have been reports that 19 of the Rena's 25 Filipino ...

Obstacle for the salvage operation -Crews are racing to remove the remaining oil Noxious fumes from the rotting cargo aboard a ship marooned on a New Zealand reef pose the latest obstacle to salvage crews trying to remove oil.The ship Rena this week survived stormy weather as experts anxiously waited to see if the badly damaged vessel would split in two. But now that the sea has calmed enough to allow crews back on board, they are facing a stink.Maritime New Zealand said in a statement Thursday that environmental officers are on board to assess the fumes from 121 containers holding perishable food which the agency said started to decompose "some time ago."The Rena ran aground Oct. 5 near Tauranga Harbor in the North Island, spilling about 385 tons of oil into the ocean. Crews are racing to remove the remaining oil before the boat falls apart.Source: AP

Rena remains on the reef cracked in two after surviving another night of bad weather The Filipino captain and the navigation officer of the cargo ship that ran aground on a New Zealand reef a month ago could now face two years in prison after fresh criminal charges were laid on Wednesday.The 47,000-ton Rena remains on the reef 22 kilometres off the east coast port of Tauranga, cracked in two and listing 21-22 degrees after surviving another night of 3-metre sea swells and 54-kilometre- per-hour winds that authorities feared could sink it.Up to 360 tons of oil spilled from the Liberian-flagged ship after it ran onto the reef on October 5, polluting some of the country's finest white sand beaches and killing at least 1,365 seabirds and 13 seals.The Maritime New Zealand agency, which is overseeing a salvage operation, said it had charged both men with the 'discharge of harmful substances' from a ship, an offence carrying a maximum two- year prison sentence or fine of 300,000 New Zealand dollars (244,000 US dollars).They had earlier been accused of 'operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk' - a charge carrying a 12-month prison sentence.A judge ordered the ...

Fears that the ship might break up and more oil could be leaked into the ocean Waves of at least five metres are expected to lash the Rena in the next 48 hours, raising fears that the ship might break up and more oil could be leaked into the ocean.The Liberian-registered and Filipino-crewed ship ran aground on the Astrolabe reef while coming into Tauranga on October 5.Large cracks started to appear on the ship in the days that followed, but calm weather over the past three weeks has helped the cargo vessel stay intact.But it may not last much longer in one piece, as large sea swells were expected in the Bay of Plenty over the next two days.Salvage efforts were suspended yesterday after sea conditions made it too unsafe for work to continue on the ship. Salvors were able to seal the tanks and air vents today, which would help limit further release of oil."The salvors have made great progress during the good weather window in recent days, but the swell yesterday forced them to stop work," Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) Salvage Unit Head Kenny Crawford said."Operations remain suspended, with the forecast for a significantly rougher sea state in ...

The accident happened outside the same port where MV Rena run aground A 135-metre container ship, the Schelde Trader, was refloated Friday after running aground on rocks at the entrance to Tauranga harbour, on the east coast of the North Island, news reports said.The accident happened outside the same port where the 47,000-ton Rena grounded on a reef nearly a month ago, spilling 350 tons of oil which polluted beaches and killed 1,335 seabirds.Salvage workers are still trying to remove the rest of the Rena's heavy fuel oil before the ship, which is cracked in the middle and listing 22 degrees, breaks up on the reef, 22 kilometres offshore.The Schelde Trader was leaving the port when it lost power and grounded. It was refloated by tugs and anchored outside the harbour, news reports said. There was no sign of an oil spill.Source: M&C

Now, salvage team has a new layer of oil to remove Clean-up crews returned to beaches on New Zealand's east coast Thursday after tides uncovered more oil from the cargo ship that ran aground on a reef three weeks ago.'This looks like oil that was buried under the sand during the rough weather that occurred a couple of weeks ago,' said Nick Quinn, of Maritime New Zealand.'The movement of tides and sand has brought it again to the surface, and so we now have a new layer of oil to remove,' he said.Residents of the port city Tauranga and its suburbs had hoped the white sand beaches would re-open for the coming weekend. Most of those beaches have been closed since the 47,000-ton Rena ran aground 22 kilometres offshore on October 5.'The reality is this is slow, painstaking work,' Quinn said. 'Beaches get cleaned, oil is revealed by tides or weather, and they need to be cleaned again.'About 350 tons of heavy fuel oil was spilled when the ship ran aground and up to another 10 tons leaked last weekend.Salvage workers are trying to pump all the oil off the ship, which is cracked down the middle and listing 22 ...