MV RENA aground leaking tons of oil off New Zealand

UPDATE: 20111018



EYE IN SKY: What might be the spread of oil, outlined in red, from the Rena. The image was captured by DLR, the German Aerospace Centre, by its TerraSAR satellite and shows what are believed to be calm spots in the water and the spread of oil.

UPDATE: 20111017

“…Rena oil spill: Missing $12m cover ‘Govt error’…(‘picking up the tab for National’s incompetence.’)…”

“…The Government admits it has “dropped the ball” by failing to sign up to an international convention that would have protected taxpayers by an additional $12 million for the cleanup of the Rena oil spill.

But it is laying the blame at the feet of governments past and present.

Under the Maritime Transport Act the ship’s owner is liable for up to $12.1 million -

- but this amount would have doubled to $24 million if the Government had signed up to the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage.

Parliament’s transport and industrial relations select committee recommended passing a law that would have achieved this in August 2008.

Labour leader Phil Goff said the minister was advised when he came into office at the end of 2008.

“Why didn’t this happen?

Three years after National first was told it needed to update legislation – nothing has been done.

“Taxpayers and business owners in Tauranga who are already feeling the affects of the Rena oil spill disaster -

- are picking up the tab for National’s incompetence.”…”

Govt fails in Rena response

Monday, October 17, 2011

In response to “Let the experts do their job” (Oct 11 story), Mr Pfahlert says of the Rena disaster in Tauranga Moana: “This accident looks serious. But it isn’t enough for the alarmists. Their agenda is to magnify and misconstrue the facts, to raise concerns about oil drilling that are completely irrelevant to the current situation.”

An oil spill is an oil spill. This disaster affecting the people of the Bay of Plenty is not alarmist, it’s real. What’s even more real is that our Government has failed to respond to the needs of the people, and the environment.

We have consistently called for the Government and our own council to have in place risk management plans, in the event that an oil spill might happen. We were assured that the Government does have plans, that there are response teams etc.

Well, if the Rena is an example of how the Government responds, then in the event of an oil drill going wrong, we are all stuffed.

The tangata whenua of the Raukumara basin, who have the responsibility to protect and care for our kapata kai on the land and sea for future generations, will continue to fight your industry Mr Pfahlert.

We will not go away, because fossil fuels are not our future. Lock the gates!!

Why was maritime nz still looking for bloody pumps this weekend ?

• Has DPMC been tasked with coordinating the Government’s response to the MV Rena disaster to ensure that all government agencies involved are focusing their efforts on delivering the most effective response; if so, what were the dates and times of each of the meetings held for these purposes and which departments were involved?
• When did he first become aware that it was likely that the owners of the MV Rena were unlikely to have enough insurance cover to reimburse all of the costs that taxpayers will incur as a result of the MV Rena disaster?
• What concerns, if any, have officials raised with him about potential difficulties that may limit his Government’s ability to recover costs for the MV Rena disaster due to the ship’s Liberian registration?
• On what date did his officials first become aware that it was likely that the MV Rena would break up on the Astrolabe Reef?
• On what date was he first told that it was likely that the MV Rena would break up on the Astrolabe Reef?
• Has he sought advice from his Minister of Transport about the concerns raised in the Thompson Clarke Shipping “Review of New Zealand’s Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response Capability” report which showed that the Oil Pollution Levy was bringing in $1m less annually than was being spent by the Oil Spill Response team; if so, what advice did he receive about the actions the Minister was taking to rectify the funding deficit?
• Has he sought advice from his Minister of Transport about concerns raised in the Thompson Clarke Shipping “Review of New Zealand’s Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response Capability” report that the understanding officials from several Ministries and Departments had about their role in responding to an oil spill differed in some cases from those stated in Maritime NZ’s 2006 Strategy?
• Has he read reports showing that “the view of MPRS [Marine Pollution Response Services] staff is that a greater level of NRT [National Response Team] training is required, particularly at the management level, including incident management team level,” if so, has he sought advice from his Minister of Transport about what steps were taken before the MV Rena disaster to address these concerns?
• Has he asked his Minister of Transport why offers of assistance from New Zealand company, Lancer Industries Ltd, to provide oil recovery barges that could have been used to off load oil from the MV Rena during the calm days immediately following its collision with the Astrolabe Reef were refused; if so, what did he learn?
• Was he aware when he defended the Government’s slow response to the MV Rena disaster by saying, “”But this is a very difficult and complex situation and there are a limited number of people around the world that you ultimately have to mobilise to New Zealand to ensure that you can ultimately start a recovery operation,” that Maritime NZ’s website advised that “Maritime New Zealand maintains a response capability of sufficient size to counter an oil spill of 3,500 tonnes… If the scale of an incident is beyond the nation’s domestic capability, arrangements are in place to secure overseas assistance”?
• Did he believe it was necessary to wait until the “limited number of people around the world that you ultimately have to mobilise to New Zealand to ensure that you can ultimately start a recovery operation” were mobilised, because he had been informed that key personnel within Maritime NZ’s oil spill response operations were vacant at the time that MV Rena collided with the Astrolabe Reef?
• Have any of the overseas people who have come to New Zealand to assist with the MV Rena disaster previously worked for Maritime NZ; if so when did they leave their positions at Maritime NZ?
• Did Maritime NZ have a policy of not replacing people who left the agency during the time its management and funding were under review; if so, were any positions that were responsible for assisting with oil spills vacant at the time of the MV Rena collided with the Astrolabe Reef; if so, what were those positions and how long were they vacant?
• Has Maritime NZ delayed the purchase of any equipment or supplies needed to respond to an oil spill due to the budget uncertainty resulting from the Government’s efficiency reviews of the agency; if so, what equipment or supplies were not purchased?
• Does he stand by his comment that his government’s agencies are able to pump 50 tonnes of oil from the vessel per hour?
• Was his agency spending time this last weekend looking for pumps and if so why did it take so bloody long?
• Does he know that decent pumps are available in the construction industry all over NZ?

I would have loved to ask these questions in parliament but it isn’t sitting this week.

UPDATE: 20111014

TEXT FROM VIDEO: http://chemtrailsnorthnz.wordpress.com/2011/10/14/was-the-grounding-of-the-mv-rena-a-false-flag-event/

UPDATE: 20111013

New Zealand - A cargo ship that has spilled hundreds of tons of oil since striking a reef off New Zealand's coast appeared to be breaking up in heavy seas, as its captain faced criminal charges in court Wednesday.

A vertical crack was apparent from the deck to the waterline of the Liberian-flagged Rena, which ran aground Oct. 5 on Astrolabe Reef, 14 miles from Tauranga Harbour on New Zealand's North Island. About 70 containers have fallen off the deck of the 775-foot vessel as it has listed increasingly in the worsening ocean conditions.

New Zealand oil leak gets 5 times worse

Maritime New Zealand, which is managing the emergency response, described the crack as a "substantial structural failure" and warned that the stern may break away. Three tug boats were mobilized to hold the stern on the reef while efforts are made to remove the oil from the ship, or to tow the stern to shallow water, the agency said in a statement.

Weather on the reef was terrible Wednesday, with swells up to 16 feet, Maritime New Zealand spokesman Steve Jones told The Associated Press. The brutal conditions were making it impossible for a salvage crew to board the ship, he said. Without the salvage crew aboard, oil cannot be pumped out of the ship.

"It's appalling," Jones said of the weather. "Everything is still in a holding pattern."

Forecasters were predicting the swells would ease to 6 feet by Thursday, at which point salvage crews might be able to try to board the ship, Jones said.

The piles of containers that remain on deck have continued to move, making it dangerous for salvage crews to work on board. Six vessels have been mobilized to intercept the drifting containers and other debris in the water.

There were 1,368 containers on board, 11 of which contained hazardous substances, the maritime agency said. The containers with hazardous materials were not among the 70 that had fallen overboard, Jones said. Still, it is highly likely that more containers will topple off because of the rough weather and the ship's steep list, he said.

The 44-year-old Filipino captain, whose name has not been revealed publicly, was charged with operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk and was released on bail Wednesday at Tauranga District Court. The ship's second officer is to face a similar charge on Thursday.

The captain's lawyer, Paul Mabey, requested that Judge Robert Wolff withhold his client's name because, he said, "there is a real potential that some persons may want to take matters into their own hands," the New Zealand Herald reported on its website. It also said the grounding occurred on the captain's birthday.

If convicted, the captain could face a fine of up to 10,000 New Zealand dollars ($7,800) and 12 months in prison. His next court appearance is Oct. 19, when authorities say more charges are likely.

Maritime New Zealand commander Nick Quinn said his priority remained cleaning up the oil.

"Until now, we have had a light oiling of beaches," he said. "This will significantly increase as more oil washes ashore over the coming days."

The government has demanded to know why the ship crashed into the well-charted reef in calm weather, but the vessel's owner has given no explanation.

Maritime New Zealand estimates that between 220 and 330 tons of heavy fuel oil have spilled from the hull, leading New Zealand's environment minister, Nick Smith, to call it the country's biggest maritime environmental disaster.

Officials believe the ship had about 1,870 tons of oil and 220 tons of diesel on board before it started leaking.

Clumps of oil have washed up on pristine beaches near Tauranga. Maritime New Zealand spokeswoman Anne Coughlan said 200 oiled birds had been found dead and 41 others were being cleaned at a wildlife emergency center.

Witnesses said dead fish were also washing ashore as local volunteers with plastic gloves and buckets worked to clean the oily clots from the white sand.

In a statement, the owners of the vessel, Greece-based Costamare Inc., said they were "cooperating fully with local authorities" and were making every effort to "control and minimize the environmental consequences of this incident." The company did not offer any explanation for the grounding.

MULTIPLE PART VIDEO(S)