Tag: New Zealand

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 ...

The 350 tons that has already leaked has killed nearly 1,300 birds Bad weather continues to thwart attempts to remove the remaining oil from the leaking cargo ship grounded off the coast of Northern New Zealand.According to New Zealand officials, "A small amount of oil was released from the bow of Rena morning." The Wall Street Journal reported that oil removal from the vessel was halted late Monday after weather conditions worsened.Despite the continuing oil leakage and cracks on both sides of the ship, the Rena is "still held together through its internal structure," an official with Maritime New Zealand told The Wall Street Journal.This latest impasse means that more oil is likely to be spilled into the water around New Zealand's North Island. The Los Angeles Times reported that officials estimate there to be 1,400 tons of oil remaining on the ship. The 350 tons that has already leaked has reportedly killed nearly 1,300 birds.The company that was chartering a cargo ship at the time it ran aground on a New Zealand reef and began spilling tons of oil offered 1 million New Zealand dollars ($800,000) Tuesday to help with the cleanup.Meanwhile, salvage crews have again halted attempts to ...

MV RENA oil spill - New Zealand's biggest maritime environmental disaste

The clean-up so far cost is estimated at $12.1 million The Prime Minister has indicated the Government will chase more cash from the Rena's owners than the estimated liability it already faces. But whether it will be successful is unclear.This comes as Tauranga businesses are already taking a hit from the Rena oil spill and could do with immediate financial relief.The Government is considering a compensation package, but Transport Minister Steven Joyce said it was not committing to anything at this stage.Under the Maritime Transport Act the capped civil liability to the ship's insurers is estimated at $14 million by legal commentators. John Key said the clean-up so far had cost an estimated $12.1 million.The liability pales beside what the ship is insured for: US$4.2 billion for a single event with a sub-limit of about US$1 billion for a pollution event.Treasury and the Ministry for the Environment were still working on a figure for what the disaster was likely to cost the country.Mr Key said yesterday there was discussion and ongoing negotiations with the owners in terms of what the absolute liability would be but the Government wasn't without potential legal remedies."They come through the RMA act and then also ...

MV Rena has been stuck for nine days , spilling about 300 tonnes of heavy toxic fuel Salvage teams raced on Friday to resume pumping oil from a stricken container ship which has almost split into two pieces off the New Zealand coast as businesses started to count the cost of the country's worst environmental disaster in decades.The Liberian-flagged Rena has been stuck for nine days on a reef 14 miles (22 km) off Tauranga on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island, spilling about 300 tonnes of heavy toxic fuel and some of its hundreds of containers into the sea.Authorities said the 236-metre (775-foot) ship was in a precarious position, as salvage teams prepared to cut holes in the stern to get to the tanks holding more than 1,000 tonnes of fuel."What's holding the vessel together at the moment is the fact she's lying on the reef and some internal structures, companionways, ducting and the like inside the vessel," Maritime NZ spokesman Andrew Berry told a meeting of local residents.The salvage teams are working to install equipment and platforms on the high side of the aft section of the 47,230-tonne ship, which is listing at up to 25 ...

Rena owner Diamantis Manos apologises Rena owner Diamantis Manos has apologised "without hesitation'' for the Bay of Plenty's unfolding environmental disaster.The container ship struck Astrolabe Reef, 20km off Tauranga, at full speed early last Wednesday and is leaking oil. Wildlife is dying and the area's pristine white sand beaches are turning black with oil and are dotted with containers which have been lost overboard.Costamare Shipping Company SA managing director Diamantis Manos today issued an apology via video in which he apologised and vowed to co-operate with the investigation.

A need for more effective control of the way foreign flagged ships operate on the Australian coast The 'Rena' oil spill in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty has reinforced the need for more effective control of the way foreign flagged ships operate on the Australian coast.The 'Rena', a Liberian domiciled 'Flag of Convenience' (FoC) ship hit a reef last week, creating a damaging oil spill in pristine waters.Maritime Union of Australia National Secretary, Paddy Crumlin, said the disaster highlighted the need for shipping reform as it could just as easily occur on the Australian coast."People will recall the grounding of the Pasha Bulker in Newcastle in 2007 and the Shen Neng 1 just east of Great Keppel Island in 2010," Mr Crumlin said."This is a terrible incident and it underscores the urgent need for shipping reform."Without better oversight of the ships moving through local waters it's only a matter of time before this type of thing happens again, potentially in Australia."The 'Rena' is registered in Liberia and is known in the industry as a 'Flag of Convenience' ship, because its owners seek to exploit cheaper labour and weaker regulation."Liberia is well known for blood diamonds and tax avoidance," Mr Crumlin ...

Charges carried a maximum fine of $7,810 or 12 months in prison The Filipino captain of the container ship that leaked oil into New Zealand waters is out on bail after being arrested and charged in court for "operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary damage or risk."A report of Reuters on Wednesday said the stricken container ship wedged on a reef off a New Zealand holiday destination sparked fears that "the vessel may break up spewing more fuel-oil on to beaches in the country's worst environmental disaster in decades."Reuters said the charges against the 44-year-old Filipino carried a maximum fine of NZ$10,000 ($7,810) or 12 months in prison.The ship that the Filipino was manning -the Liberian-flagged Rena- hit the Astrolabe Reef off the Tauranga port last week.According to BBC, "it is not clear how the vessel ran aground on a well-marked reef in calm weather."BBC said Tauranga District Court Judge Robert Wolff approved the request to keep the captain's identity under wraps "because people 'might want to take matters into their own hands.'" 'Worst in decades'Concern is building up about the incident because more than 30 oil containers reportedly fell off the ship, which has been beaten by ...

The leaking oil from MV RENA has started to wash up on shore The leaking oil from a ship that hit a reef off the coast of New Zealand last week has started to wash up on shore, according to the Associated Press.Fist-sized clumps have begun dotting the beaches near Mount Maunganui in northern New Zealand. The beaches have been closed to human swimmers, but the spill has already taken a toll on local wildlife.According to the AP video below, a wildlife response center has been set up to clean oiled birds.The Associated Press reports, "environmental officials said 53 birds were found dead and 17 were getting emergency treatment to remove oil from their feathers."The Liberian-flagged Rena, which ran aground last Wednesday, has been leaking oil and diesel fuel ever since. The Maritime New Zealand agency believes the ship contains "about 1,700 metric tons of oil and 200 tons of diesel on board." Around 390 tons of it have already leaked into the Bay of Plenty, according to the Associated Press.Rough seas have prevented crews from finishing the job of pumping oil from the foundering vessel.Source: Huffington PostAlso see related video Birds Caught in Oil Leak in New Zealand

The leaking oil from MV RENA has started to wash up on shore Oil from a container ship grounded off the coast of New Zealand has started leaking, and some of it is washing ashore in a popular surfing beach resort area. Some seabirds are being contaminated by the slick