Cargo ship Rena started New Zealand's worst environmental crisis when it ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga 15 days ago, spilling oil and containers into the sea. Up to 350 tonnes of oil and 88 containers have spilled from it, polluting beaches mainly in the Bay of Plenty. The operation by Svitzer Salvage to transfer the oil to a bunker barge started slowly and was later suspended due to heavy seas, but pumping has now resumed again. It is hard slow work pumping cold gluggy oil (almost the consistency of tar) the length of two football fields to the barge Awanuia. The Rena has a large crack through the middle which is slowly getting wider, and hopes are held that the oil can all be removed before the ship breaks apart. It seems to be firmly wedged on the reef, with the weight of the containers helping to hold it in place.
Photo courtesy of TV One News
Salvage and oil recovery - photo by John Borren
A Maritime NZ diagram shows how the Rena is grounded on the Astrolabe Reef.
Soldiers from the NZ Army are helping Maritime NZ with efforts to clean Bay of Plenty beaches, with local volunteers coming along to help out too. More than 4200 people have registered to volunteer, and can help out after training and being issued with equipment and safety gear to protect them from the toxic oil.
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