Tag: New Zealand

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 ...

Between 40 and 1400 tonnes of fuel oil were leaked into the ocean A couple of years ago, the writer Nassim Nicholas Taleb invented a new metaphor which describes what he calls low probability, high impact events -- the Black Swan. For centuries this creature was not thought to exist, but then the discovery of a single animal turned this assumption on its head. What Taleb is getting at is the way in which our ideas about the way the world works can be totally shifted by a single, shocking event. Once it happens, the author notes, humans are pretty good at concocting explanations for why it did, to make the thing seem more normal, to allow us to continue on as before.The sinking of the 'unsinkable' Titanic: a classic black swan. The BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, another. Exxon Valdez? Sure. This week's grounding of a tanker carrying fuel oil through one of the most beautiful marine environments on earth? Just the latest.As the 21st century evolves around us, one thing is clear. When it comes to mankind's thirst for energy we are entering uncharted waters, and the old assumptions are no longer cutting it. Major ...

A total of 171 tonnes have already been removed Salvage operations on board the cargo vessel Rena are progressing slowly but steadily, with a total of 171 tonnes removed from the vessel by this afternoon.The port number 5 tank from which fuel is being pumped originally held 772 tonnes.MNZ Salvage Unit Manager Bruce Anderson said the key focus for the salvage team today had been to establish continuous pumping off the vessel, and they had achieved that."Their focus now is on getting that flow happening more quickly. They have a range of options they will be testing to speed up the process - they will be working through these over the next 24 to 48 hours."The oil is very difficult to work with and is flowing very slowly at present. However, the team will be doing everything they can to get it moving faster."Mr Anderson said the team would continue pumping overnight, if weather allowed."We have fine weather forecast until Wednesday so we are taking advantage of the good weather while we can."This afternoon, the National On Scene Commander Alex van Wijngaarden reopened the Mount Maunganui beach from the base track through to Tay Street (approximately 3km).The beach was now ...

Latest updates The removal of oil from the vessel Rena continues this evening, following the re-establishment of pumping lines earlier this afternoon. Figures on how much oil has been pumped from the ship today are not yet available.Salvage unit manager Bruce Anderson says the booster pump was also reinstalled to aid the speed of pumping but a circuit blow-out required a back-up booster pump to be installed."The salvors have contingency upon contingency for situations like these. A backup booster pump has been brought in and the existing pump will have the circuit repaired."He says divers have entered the ship through a submerged corridor to investigate the seals of the starboard-side engine room manhole."This is in preparation for creating a cofferdam (an enclosure to create a dry work environment) to allow access to the starboard-side fuel tanks."Salvors will remain aboard the Rena tonight to continue with the highly complex pumping operation.The exclusion zone is currently being reviewed by the regional harbourmaster.Of the 88 containers lost overboard, 29 containers are unaccounted for. Braemar Howells Ltd, the company appointed by the salvors for the recovery of containers, has employed a side-scanning sonar to aid location and recovery.The Wildlife Response Unit has established a ...

Rules place limits on compensation, general average may hit customers Shippers without specific safeguards in bills of lading who lose cargo from the stranded container ship Rena off the coast of New Zealand may see strict limits on their compensation as the complicated international rules of cargo liability take hold, according to a maritime attorney in Washington.Ashley Craig, a partner with the Venable firm, said international maritime conventions dictate shippers from most countries outside the United States will have compensation limited by conventions in place for containers lost in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty unless the shippers elected to increase the liability levels. Compensation for cargo originating from the U.S. tops out at $500 per container, depending on the type of cargo, the weight and other factors unless separate provisions are made in the bill of lading, said Craig.Compensation, he said, is based on the freight unit under the bill of lading and so may not be based on entire containers.Shippers with goods on the vessel also may face the potential for a deeper financial hit from the Rena disaster under the maritime legal principle known as general average. Under the internationally recognized principle, all shippers with goods on a ...

Cleanup and salvage effort for crippled vessel moves into third week Mediterranean Shipping said Wednesday it is awaiting word from Rena vessel owner Costamare and a salvage company as the ship owner's insurer said it would meet all obligations in the maritime disaster off the coast of New Zealand.The Swedish Club, the insurance company for Rena owner and operator Costamare, issued a statement saying the carrier's "obligations will be met in full."Costamare did not return requests for comment on questions of liability and potential cargo claims from the Oct. 5 disaster that came when the container ship ran aground on a reef about 15 miles off the coast of New Zealand.MSC, which had chartered the vessel, said it was waiting to hear from Costamare and the salvage company before it could address questions from its customers."Right now, a very complicated salvage process is underway and we can do nothing until that process is completed and we receive word," said Allen Clifford, an executive vice president at MSC (USA). "Everything is in the complete hands of the salvors and Costamare."Shipper claims for losses from the ship disaster will fall into the complicated world of international maritime law and industry attorneys say ...

Facing charges for causing unnecessary danger or risk Two ship captains appeared in court Wednesday in the New Zealand port of Tauranga, each facing the same charge but in very different cases.The two seamen, both 44, are each charged under the Maritime Act with operating a ship in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk and could go to prison for 12 months.But their cases, and their boats, have little else in common.One is the Philippine skipper of the 47,000-ton cargo carrier Rena, which ran aground on a reef as it sailed into the east coast port of Tauranga in the early hours of his birthday on October 5.The Filipino has been accused along with his navigation officer of causing an oil spill that has polluted nearby beaches and killed nearly 1,300 seabirds.The court has ruled to keep their identities secret to protect them from angry locals.In the other case, Maori fisherman Elvis Heremaia Teddy, captain of the 12-metre San Pietro, faces the same charge for obstructing a ship prospecting for oil in his tribe's traditional fishing waters.Teddy was arrested April 23 after setting his nets in front of the chartered survey vessel off the East Cape, telling its crew ...