WELLINGTON – An operation to extract oil from a container ship stranded on a reef near New Zealand is set to begin.
The 775ft (236m) Liberia-flagged Renastruck the Astrolabe Reef about 12 nautical miles from Tauranga Harbour early on Wednesday and has been foundering there since.
The 47,000-tonne ship has been leaking fuel, sparking fears it could cause an environmental disaster if it breaks up further.
Maritime New Zealand said in a statement late yesterday that a barge, the Awanuia, has pulled up alongside the Renaand should soon begin pumping fuel from the stricken vessel.
The operation is expected to last at least two days, although it could be delayed by bad weather.
The ship has been leaking oil into New Zealand’s pristine Bay of Plenty, with international crews scrambling to limit the environmental damage and refloat the vessel before it breaks up.
An oil leak from the freighter has spread over an area of 5km (three miles), according to the BBC. There are estimates of 30 tonnes of oil spilled so far out of the 1,700 tonnes that could be dumped into the ocean if the Renais wrecked in one of New Zealand's most prized areas of natural beauty.
Maritime authorities have said they are treating birds, including little blue penguins, brought in covered with oil.
Animal welfare workers said the disaster had struck in the middle of breeding season for native birds on the bay.
Australia’s ABC network said a team of 200 people, including specialists from Australia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Singapore had been despatched, and that 300 defence personnel were on standby in case the slick reached the North Island coastline.
New Zealand prime minister John Key toured the scene of the incident in an aircraft and said two inquiries were under way into the cause.
“People know about the reef, and for [the ship] 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.
The Renahad 25 crew on board but none were injured, reports indicated.
New Zealand navy and salvage ships are working to pump off the ship’s fuel oil and move it to safety before attempting to refloat the ship.
Dispersants sprayed from the air on to the slick have not worked and bad weather is expected to frustrate the containment effort. – (Guardian service)