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Twisted, But Still Together

Twisted, But Still Together

The container ship Rena continues to be firmly stuck on the astrolabe reef off Tauranga, New Zealand.  The bow section has not moved, but the stern section has begun to shift to further to port.  The vessel is now twisted with the large cracks along both sides of the hull.  This leaves the vessel structurally unsound and unable to be pulled off the reef.  If the heavy oil can be removed, tugs may attempt to tow the stern section away from the reef to deeper water where it would be allowed to sink.

The salvage crew were unable to pump oil off the Rena due to the heavy swells.   There had been concerns that the vessel would break up in the rough weather, but conditions improved allowing the three man crew to return to the vessel.  Their focus is now to continue pumping out the port tank which holds around 700 tons of heavy oil.

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Owner Sorry, Crew Quits

Owner Sorry, Crew Quits

Owners Statement


11 Crew Quit

Eleven of the Rena crew have quit and have boarded flights back to the Philippines.   This leaves only 6 crewmen behind including the Captain and Second Mate who both have been charged in court.  A growing anger towards the crew has started an anti-Filipinos sentiment in the communities impacted by the oil spill.

Response and Cleanup

The total number of containers fallen into the sea is up to 88.  One containing alkyl sulfonic acid has fallen into the sea causing greater concern of the toxic substances on board the Rena.   The acid can have a long lasting impact to the environment as it slow to biodegrade.  Some 50 tons of solid wastes from the oil spill has been recovered.  Over 1500 volunteers are helping in the process.

Three tugs are positioned around the stern of the Rena if the ship begins to break up.   If the vessel’s stern stays afloat, the tugs could drag the portion of the vessel closer to port to allow more oil to be recovered.   If the vessel capsizes or sinks, there is little the tugs can do.

Rena at 20 Degrees

The Rena is now positioned some 20 degrees to starboard and is expected to breakup as the crack in the number three hold widens.  The remaining oil on Rena is located in the stern of the vessel in a watertight compartment.  There is some concern that this compartment would split open when the vessel breaks up.   Another concern is the vessel could capsize sending all the containers on deck into the sea.  With several containers containing toxic substances, this could pose another risk to the wildlife and environment.

 

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Awanuia damaged

Awanuia damaged

The 80 meter long tanker Awanuia suffered damage during pumping operations with the aground container ship Rena off Tauranga, New Zealand.   The Awanuia suffered minor damage to its foc’sle and returned to Tauranga for repairs.  No reports of injuries or any pollution being released.  Authorities have stated the pumping operations were being halted anyways due to the approaching bad weather.

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