Rena oil spill

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rena oil spill

Rena aground on Astrolabe Reef

Location

Tauranga, New Zealand 37.56039S 176.396466ECoordinates: 37.56039S 176.396466E

Coordinates

Date

5 October 2011 Cause

Cause

Ship grounding Spill characteristics

Volume

Up to 2,500 barrels (400 m3)

Location of Astrolabe Reef in New Zealand[1]

The Rena oil spill occurred off the coast of Tauranga in New Zealand. The spill was caused by the grounding ofMV Rena on the Astrolabe Reef. The Rena is a container ship owned by the Greek shipping company Costamare Inc., through one of its subsidiary companies and chartered by the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). The spill has been described as New Zealand's worst maritime environmental disaster.[2]
Contents
[hide]

1 Grounding 2 Oil spill and response 3 Political consequences 4 Criminal charges 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit]Grounding
On Wednesday, 5 October 2011, at 2:20 AM (Tuesday, 4 October 1:20 PM UTC) while sailing in clear weather from Napier to Tauranga, and with a speed of 17 knots (20 mph), MV Rena ran aground on Astrolabe Reef.[3][4] The ship was carrying 1,368 containers, eight of which contained hazardous

materials, as well as 1,700 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and 200 tonnes of marine diesel oil. [5] Initially the ship listed 11 degrees to port, with the front stuck on the reef. [6] By Sunday, 9 October, a 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) oil slick threatened wildlife and the area's rich fishing waters.[7]

[edit]Oil

spill and response

Oil from Rena began washing ashore at Mount Maunganui beach on 10 October.[8] Bad weather that night caused the ship to shift on the reef, and the crew were evacuated. [9][10] The shifting of the ship caused further damage, resulting in a further 130 - 350 tonnes of oil leaking. [10] On 11 October, the spill was declared New Zealand's "worst ever maritime environmental disaster" by Environment Minister Nick Smith.[2] Strong winds and bad weather on the night of 11 October caused the ship to list over to starboard, to 19 degrees, and resulted in between 30 and 70 containers being washed overboard. [11] None of the containers contained hazardous cargo. [11] Containers subsequently began washing ashore on Motiti Island.[12] On the afternoon of 12 October, aerial footage showed a large crack in the hull of Rena, increasing fears that the ship could break in two and sink.[13] It also showed a container floating in the water surrounded by smoke, suggesting that a chemical reaction was occurring. [13] On 13 October, Maritime New Zealand ordered beaches from Mount Maunganui to Maketu Point, including theMaketu Estuary, to be closed to the public.[14] Volunteers were warned that contact with spilled oil could lead to vomiting, nausea and rashes, and local residents were urged to close their windows to limit fumes.[15] Costamare Shipping, the owners of Rena, apologised to the people of Tauranga, saying they were "deeply sorry" for the "disastrous event."[16] Although not legally obligated to do so, the charterer, Mediterranean Shipping Company, promised to help with the cleanup costs. [17]

New Zealand Army personnel cleaning oil from Papamoa Beach on 11 October

On 14 October it was reported that the ship had cracked completely in half, and was held together only by her internal structure and the reef.[18] Calmer weather meant that preparations could be made to pump out the remainder of the ship's oil,[18] but a change in the wind direction meant that oil was likely to spread as far east as Whakatane andOpotiki.[19] Also on 14 October the Filipino crew of the Rena left New Zealand "for their safety" after a racist backlash against Filipinos in Tauranga.[20][21] Calm weather on 15 October allowed salvage experts to board the vessel and begin preparations to pump the remaining oil to a barge.[22] Platforms were attached to the side of the ship, and pumping began on 16 October.[23] By 17 October only twenty tons of oil had been removed. [24] On 16 October a mine-countermeasures team aboard HMNZS Manawanui began hunting for containers spilled from theRena.[25] Since October, salvage efforts have been focused on removing the ship's cargo before it completely breaks apart. In January 2012, the Rena completely broke in half and the stern end slipped off of the reef and began sinking[26]. A small amount of oil and containers escaped the ship as it broke in half.

[edit]Political

consequences

The disaster occurred only seven weeks before the 2011 general election (which took place on 26 November 2011) and partially affected the campaign.[27] On 14 October it was reported that the disaster had caused a 4% drop in the governing National Party's polling on the iPredict prediction market.[28] On 13 October the New Zealand Labour Party announced that it would impose a moratorium on deep sea drilling for oil if elected to power.[29] In 2012 the government announced a twelve month environmental recovery plan for the area with an expected cost of NZ$23 million (US$1.6M2.5M as of January 2012).[30]

[edit]Criminal

charges

On 12 October, the captain of Rena appeared in the Tauranga District Court charged with operating a vessel causing unnecessary danger or risk to a person or property. He was granted name suppression and remanded on bail.[11] If convicted he faces a fine of up to $10,000 or up to 12 months imprisonment.[31] The ship's second officer, who was responsible for navigation at the time of the accident, was subsequently charged and appeared in court on 13 October. [32]