Awanuia and Waka Kume welcomed

Seafuels bunker barge Awanuia and Ports of Auckland tugboat Waka Kume were welcomed back to Auckland [last week] after nearly six weeks in the Bay of Plenty assisting in the salvage of the MV Rena.
Staff were thanked at a special ceremony at the Cloud on Queens Wharf during which representatives from Ngati Whatua performed a Karanga and Ports of Auckland staff a haka.

Wayne Mills, Chairman of Seafuels and General Manager Multi-Cargo and Marine at Ports of Auckland, said it was great to have the crew and vessels back safe.

Mr Mills said Seafuels and Ports of Auckland had responded quickly to the incident, mobilising vessels and staff as quickly as possible. The Waka Kume was the first salvage vessel on the scene and the Awanuia arrived at daybreak Sunday 9 October and was on standby until salvors were ready to begin pumping.”

“Particular thanks are due to Z Energy, who agreed to release the Awanuia to facilitate it’s participation in the salvage operation, and to those of our staff who left their families to go to the Bay of Plenty at short notice, to work in incredibly challenging conditions.”

“But for their dedication and skill, the environmental impact of the grounding could have been much worse with significantly more oil spilled.”

“I’d also like to acknowledge the understanding shown by the port’s regular fuel customers, who have had to make alternative arrangements during the absence of the Awanuia, and Waterfront Auckland, who assisted in re-fuelling the cruise ship the Radiance of the Seas at Wynyard Wharf.”

Ngati Whatua’s Moana Tamaariki-Pohe, who is the godmother of the Awanuia and christened the ship when she arrived in New Zealand in 2009, said “Ngati Whatua is very happy to be able to welcome Awanuia back home, and to share in the amazing job that was undertaken in Tauranga.”

One of the Masters of the Awanuia, Captain Rick Hunter, said, “It was an unimaginable situation, something we didn’t expect to see here in New Zealand. We are glad that the Awanuia was able to be of assistance.

Awanuia Master Captain John Skrine said being helicoptered down in an Army chopper from Auckland to the Bay of Plenty, and winched onto the deck of the Awanuia, was one of the most memorable experiences of his life.

“The salvage operation itself was also extremely challenging, and involved close teamwork and communication betweeen ourselves, the crew on the Waka Kume, the salvors and Maritime New Zealand.”

Mr Mills said the Awanuia, which suffered minor damage during the salvage operation, was fully operational. Permanent repairs will be completed now that she is back in Auckland.

The Awanuia is owned by Seafuels, a joint venture company between Ports of Auckland and Pacific Basin Shipping of Hong Kong, one of the world’s leading shipping companies. In normal circumstances the vessel is under time charter to Z Energy to provide a re-fuelling service for cruise ships and commercial vessels calling at the Port of Auckland.

The 80 metre, 3,900 tonne fuel tanker was purchased new by Seafuels in 2009. The tanker, which has a capacity of 25,000 barrels of oil, has state-of-the-art operational and environmental design features, including a double hull construction.