Rena update (#216)

27 April 2012 - 11.20am

Svitzer salvors have made good progress in removing containers and cargo from Rena throughout the week.

Salvage

• Dive operations to remove smaller pieces of debris and cargo have been undertaken. Divers are cutting into parts of the submerged stern section to gain access to containers for removal.
• There are currently moderate to strong winds and swells of between 2-3m at the Astrolabe Reef. The weather conditions are forecast to ease over the weekend.

 

Container and debris recovery

• The Braemar recovery team is investigating reports of debris washing ashore on Great Barrier Island.
• The team will fly over the island as soon as weather conditions are favourable to assess the situation.
• Braemar NZ Operations Manager Neil Lloyd says that staff will respond accordingly, deploying a fast response craft and clean up teams to deal with the matter.
• Meanwhile, clean up operations on the Coromandel are continuing. Methods for collecting plastic beads have been finalised and will be into action next week, as the weather improves.
• On Matakana Island, debris has been collected and stockpiled ready to be heli-lifted for disposal. The air lift is scheduled for next week, along with further efforts to clean up plastic beads from island beaches.
• With the latest recovery efforts, the total number of containers received ashore from Rena is 762 – this is made up of 661 removed from the decks and holds of Rena, and another 101 retrieved from the extended area around the wreck, and the shoreline.
• This week alone, the Braemar/Unimar recovery team has recovered the wreckage of more than 30 containers – including container sections and some cargo.
• A further 40 containers are in pinpointed locations yet to be recovered and sonar surveys are continuing over a wide area.

 

Oil spill response

• Surveys by oil spill response personnel of areas previously affected by oil have continued this week.
• Small amounts of residual oil have been observed in some areas between Mount Maunganui and Papamoa. These have not required clean-up operations but the sites will continue to be monitored by survey teams.
• Members of the public are encouraged to report any sightings of oil to 0800 OIL SPILL (0800 645 774).