A containership which ran onto a reef off the coast of New Zealand is no longer leakingoil. Cor Radings, spokesman for the partly Dutch-based company Svitzer Salvagesays they will start on Tuesday cleaning up the oil spilled in the Bay ofPlenty, an important habitat for dolphins, whales, penguins and seals.
“On Sundaywe began pumping the fuel to a tanker moored nearby, until the weatherconditions forced a temporary halt. We’re also preparing to remove thecontainers, although the angle of the ship will make it difficult. ”
SvitzerSalvage is leading an operation involving 250 specialists from Australia, GreatBritain, Singapore and the Netherlands, with 300 New Zealand servicemenstanding by.
It’s notclear how the Rena, A Greek ship sailing under a Liberian flag, ran aground infine weather on a reef clearly marked on all charts. It can’t be moved untilthe containers have been removed and even then it could still break up and leakmore oil.
So far theenvironmental damage has not been as bad as was feared, with only a fewseabirds and penguins covered in oil.
The NewZealand authorities say they will investigate all aspects of the case,including possible alcohol use by the crew.
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In thisphoto provided by Maritime New Zealand, shipping containers float Wednesday, inthe water around the cargo ship Rena that has been foundering since it ranaground Oct. 5 on the Astrolabe Reef, about 14 miles (22 kilometers) fromTauranga Harbour, New Zealand. The condition of the stricken cargo ship stuckthat is leaking oil worsened Wednesday, with about 70 containers falling overboard and the vessel moving onto a steeper lean. (AP/Maritime NewZealand, Blair Harkness) |
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