Crews are racing to extract oil from a
leaking ship stranded on a reef off New Zealand
The MV Rena container ship, has already
leaked 20-30 tonnes of oil since it struck the Astrolabe Reef, in the Bay of Plenty
Officials fear that, if the ship breaks
up in the bad weather, 1,700 tonnes of fuel could be released into the area.
The Bay of Plenty
Oil leaking from the Liberian-flagged
Rena, stranded 12 nautical miles off the coast, has created a 5-km (3-mile)
slick.
'Something terrible'
"The weather is expected to
deteriorate in the coming days, so we are working around the clock to remove
the oil," the agency said.
The operation is expected to last at
least two days, but the bad weather could force it to delay.
 |
Officials are concerned that the ship
could break up, leaking huge amounts of oil
|
Salvage experts are on board the Rena
and have specialist equipment to warn them if the ship is in danger of breaking
up, it added.
"The top priority is to first
remove the oil, then lighten the vessel by removing the containers, and
finally, move the ship off the reef," the MNZ said.
2 barges have been scooping up the oil
that has spilled into the sea, but the MNZ said it expected to see more oil in
the water in the coming days and washing up on nearby beaches around Wednesday
or Thursday.
About 200 people are working on the
response, and New Zealand
The owners of the ship, Greece-based
Costamare Inc, have not given an explanation for the grounding, but said they
were "cooperating fully with local authorities" to minimise any
damage.
Prime Minister John Key, who flew over
the scene in a helicopter on Sunday, said two inquiries to determine why the
ship had collided with the Astrolabe Reef were already under way.
"People know about the reef, and
for it to plough into it for no particular reason - at night, in calm waters -
tells you something terrible has gone wrong and we need to understand
why," he told Radio New Zealand.
Experts say the arrival of stormy
weather could lead to the break-up of the Rena, as one end is stuck on the reef
while the other end floats free.
"Once you increase the swell, the
upsurge, the lift on the aft end of the ship will increase, and the chances of
her separating start to rise," explained Marine Risk Assessor John Riding.
'Sticky gunk'
The department of conservation has
established two wildlife rescue centres and dispatched teams to search the
beaches and islands in the area for affected animals and birds.
The maritime authorities have said a
total of 8 oiled birds, including little blue penguins, had been recovered
and taken to a wildlife facility in Te Maunga.
"From tip to toe, they are covered
in black sticky gunk, matting up all their feathers right down to the
skin," said Brett Gartrell of New Zealand
MNZ has established a one-kilometre
maritime exclusion zone around the ship and warns that the fuel oil is toxic.
The animal welfare group Forest and Bird said the timing of the accident, in the
middle of the breeding season for birds, was "disastrous".
Greenpeace said it could also affect
whales and dolphins calving in the area, as well as other species.
Source: BBC. 9 October 2011
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