Tag: New Zealand

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

It has the potential to be a significant environmental impact Bruce Anderson, Maritime New Zealand: "It has the potential to be a significant environmental impact"New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key says "serious questions" must be answered about why a container ship ran aground on a reef off one of the country's most spectacular coastlines.Oil leaking from the Liberian-flagged Rena has created a 5-km (3-mile) slick.An all-out effort is under way to remove nearly 2,000 tonnes of oil from the vessel, which is stranded 12 nautical miles off the coast.Heavy swells and gale-force winds are forecast for the area from Monday.Officials say 20-30 tonnes of oil have spilled into the Bay of Plenty, one of the country's top tourist destinations, since the MV Rena ran aground on Wednesday.If the ship breaks up, it could release 1,700 tonnes of heavy fuel into an area that is home to whales, dolphins, seals, penguins and a variety of other birds. 'Working tirelessly'John Key, who flew over the scene in a helicopter on Sunday, said two inquiries to determine why the ship had collided with the Astrolabe Reef were already under way."People know about the reef, and for it to plough into it for no ...

The ship is carrying 1,700 tonnes of heavy fuel oil Salvage experts were racing to secure a container ship which ran aground on a reef off New Zealand as oil started to wash up on Monday along beaches of a popular holiday resort.The 47,230-tonne Liberian-flagged Rena has been stuck on the reef, about 12 nautical miles from Tauranga on the east coast of the country's North Island, since running aground early on Wednesday.Maritime New Zealand said the weather was about to get worse."Seas are moderate but they will become rough later, there will be poor visibility and we are expecting showers," it said in a statement.The ship is carrying 1,700 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, which has been transferred to secure tanks at the rear of the vessel and is slowly being pumped into a barge. Containers are being lashed more tightly."Salvage experts and naval architects on board are very closely monitoring the ship and have got sensors in place that will provide advance warning if the vessel's structure is coming under too much stress," Maritime NZ said.The first oil from the ship has also been found on nearby beaches with clean up teams moving in to collect the fist-sized ...

The leak appeared to be intermittent and coming from damaged pipes A large container ship stuck on a reef off the coast of New Zealand is leaking oil. Maritime New Zealand said on Thursday the leak appeared to be intermittent and coming from damaged pipes rather than from fuel tanks. It added the extent of the spillage was hard to assess given the extensive damage to the vessel.The 775-foot (236-metre) Liberia-flagged Rena struck the Astrolabe Reef, about 12 nautical miles from Tauranga Harbour, early on Wednesday. It has been floundering there since. Maritime New Zealand said the 25 crew on board of the Rena were safe and trying to stop more oil from leaking.The agency added that so far, four seabirds had died in the oil slick, which extends about three miles (five kilometres) from the ship.

The International Chamber of Shipping urges for changes to maritime competition regime The International Chamber of Shipping has urged the New Zealand government to consider practices in other parts of the world when it considers making changes to its maritime competition regime. The subject of carbon dioxide dominated the latest of Germanischer Lloyd traditional forums to recap the most recent session of the IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee.

42nd Pacific Islands Forum Prime Minister John Key has announced New Zealand will support country-specific initiatives to strengthen maritime safety in the Pacific as part an on-going, region-wide effort."Following a number of serious accidents in 2009, both New Zealand and Australia offered to work with regional and national organisations to improve maritime safety in the region, and this assistance was accepted by fellow Forum leaders," Mr Key says."The sea is effectively the main highway for most island groups - it's the principal way for transporting supplies, and ferry services provide livelihoods and a means of contact for people within the region. It's important we work with local authorities to ensure these trade and transport lines are as safe as possible for those who use them every day."New Zealand has established a dedicated Pacific maritime safety advisor role, and new initiatives will include:Training for personnel operating Tonga's new inter-island ferry service, and support for staff at Tonga's Ministry of Transport;Assisting the Cook Islands establish new safety regulations, and funding a subsidy for safety equipment and personnel training; andAssisting Kiribati with search and rescue capability, including a locally-based search and rescue advisor and small vessel safety equipment."Our support in this area illustrates ...

New Zealand should be consistent with the APEC Guidelines The International Chamber of Shipping has urged the New Zealand Government to consider the benefit of current practices in other parts of the world when it considers making changes to its maritime competition regime.In a paper submitted to the New Zealand Productivity Commission, ICS comments:"We believe that New Zealand should take full account of the recognition given by other competition authorities to the benefits of current practices, such as liner conferences and consortia, in terms of efficiency of world trade, and the implications for national economies and the interests of consumers. We respectfully suggest that this is especially important for nations such as New Zealand that have such a very high dependency on the availability of reliable maritime services in order to maintain their position as major trading economies."ICS highlights current practices in Australia, the United States, China and other Far Eastern countries, pointing out that "whatever might be decided for reasons of national competition policy, ship operators trading to and from New Zealand are part of a global shipping market, and that the various maritime competition rules that apply in the Asia Pacific are currently broadly in alignment."We suggest that ...