Rena: The collective effort towards recovery

Labeled “New Zealand’s worst environmental maritime disaster,” the catastrophic collision of Rena, a large Liberian-flagged cargo vessel, and New Zealand’s Astrolabe Reef in the Bay of Plenty’s Tauranga Harbor, has been exactly that; the ship continues to litter the sea with various pieces of cargo from its 1,368 shipping containers and has leaked at least 350 tonnes of oil into the sea.

Since the date of its occurrence on 5 October, 2011, the estimated number of casualties caused by the spill is a devastating 20,000 lifeless birds. Yet there are still other unknown environmental losses that can’t be detected from the shores of the beach, and the response has been extensive in attempt to recover New Zealand’s unique habitat.

All sharing an interest in this recovery, the resulting cleaner beaches have been achieved by the hard work of local communities, universities and maritime officials in a collective effort to try to salvage and restore the vitality of affected areas and animals.

While the salvage operations remain dependent on weather conditions, the operations have already removed 195 shipping containers from the ship, most recently by the crane barge, Smit Borneo.

Besides clearing the beaches of Rena debris, there is also the tedious task of washing the rocks clean of oil, found in both large globs and small flecks along the shore. Scheduled most recently was a Shoreline Clean-up Assessment Team at Maketū Spit, where many Dotterels live and were released after being cleaned at the wildlife facility in Te Maunga.

In conjunction with Massey University’s National Oiled Wildlife Response Team (NOWRT), the MNZ Rena Wildlife Rescue Centre operates with the aid of over 100 people including: veterinarians, ornithologists, pathologists, wildlife technicians, responders trained within the field and volunteers from various parts of the country.

Amidst the endless carting of supplies between the provisional but purposeful tents, the NOWRT treatment facilities provide an answer to those willing to offer their time and services, and will maintain its function and resources until the full threat of Rena is quelled by its removal from the reef.

Even when the intake number-- the amount of oiled birds brought into the centre-- abates, it does not mean any less work for those involved. Volunteering at the centre based in Te Maunga, one witnesses first hand a wide range of responsibilities carried out with scrupulous precision by the team.

Never once lacking in activities and organised into a continuous cycle of washing and preparing, the food prep team in the site’s kitchen is spearheaded by the unflagging administration of Maureen Burgess, local district councilor and conservationist.

All of the meals are on a daily regimen contingent to the needs of the birds and the business itself is an arduous process that involves selecting, blending and mixing fish and vitamins, to be administered with large syringes at the allocated time.

The syringes, either containing hydration liquid or ‘fish slurry,’ are also separated into two categories: ‘dirty birds’ and ‘clean birds,’ and once ready for use are taken to the appropriate ‘dirty bird’ or ‘clean bird’ tent.

The little blue penguins in one of the tents marked ‘clean birds’ are weighed and given their vitamin liquid, designed to keep them hydrated. Here too, the process is already well established into a pattern. Carried out by communicating in quiet voices so as not to disturb the penguins, the sequence involves one person picking up and weighing the penguin, another to administer the syringes and someone to record the data. There are heat lamps arranged above the crates to invoke familiarity and a sense of homeostasis for the birds in their new environment.

The tent marked ‘dirty birds’ is populated with a group of professional veterinarians and responders with expertise in handling oiled animals, all donning the essential cleanroom suits, gloves and gumboots necessary to avoid contamination. The feeding and weighing process is similar to the procedure for the ‘clean birds’ except that a number, 1-9, is attributed to the health of each penguin, 9 representing a penguin in very good condition. The NOWRT staff offer most of these birds pieces of sliced fish rather than the slurry, counting and recording the number of fish each penguin accepts.

The penguins also have two periods during the day to swim in the pools that occupy a corner of the site. The birds are introduced to a gradual increase in the water’s salinity until they are once again ready to swim in sea water. This routine is also a crucial aspect of their recovery as the swimming provides exercise and encourages them to preen and restore their de-oiled feathers to their natural condition.

With an estimated capacity for 500 birds, the Rena Wildlife Rescue Centre’s personnel provide constant vigilance over the fluctuating needs of the facility. The treatment centre has accommodated over 350 birds at one point, including recovering dotterels, pied shags and little blue penguins and is now caring for a remaining 107 penguins and 2 dotterels.

Currently, the rehabilitated birds have been micro-chipped and released after being established both clean and healthy enough and will be monitored to ensure they return back to their natural nesting habitat. According to the Maritime NZ website, 967 tonnes of waste has been removed from the affected beaches and continuous surveillance of the locations will be performed routinely until the assessment teams are confident that the environment is once again a sound and healthy one.

Little blue penguins being released back into their native habitat in Mount Maunganui after being cleaned at an oiled wildlife facility:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeTbHEwlHbQ


The tragic consequences of the spill have also sparked notable action from Greenpeace NZ in their campaign linking the disastrous effects of Rena with current governmental proposals for deep sea oil drilling in New Zealand waters.

In collaboration with a group of charitable artists from Publicis Mojo, the message from Greenpeace urging citizens to sign the petition against deep sea oil drilling is a sobering reminder of the immeasurable misfortune that has resulted from Rena. It commemmorates the thousands of birds lost to the spill by using two of its victims in multiple prints along Auckland's Khyber Pass Road:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fEnjRXRrkM

Although the full extent of the damage inflicted by Rena remains yet to be seen, the steadfast services of the MNZ staff along with the generosity of volunteers continue to be a vital component of New Zealand’s environmental rehabilitation, and in that sense, the preservation of hope itself.

Click here to register as a volunteer:
http://renaoilspill.co.nz/how-you-can-help/

Visit MNZ’s website for daily updates about Rena:
http://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/Rena/timeline.asp#current_week