Decision close on whether to abandon Rena on Astrolabe Reef

Friday, 26 February 2016

Fish school around the underwater wreck of the Rena.

A decision on whether the wreck of the cargo ship MV Rena will remain in the water at the Astrolabe Reef is expected on Friday afternoon.

The cargo ship ran aground on the reef off the coast of Tauranga in October 2011, spilling more than 300 tonnes of oil into the Bay of Plenty.

The Rena breaks up on the Astrolabe Reef off the coast of Tauranga in 2012.

Independent commissioners heard 20 days of submissions last September into a resource consent application from the Rena's owners to leave the wreck on the reef.

The commissioners are retired Environment Court Judge Gordon Whiting, Cultural Commissioner Rauru Kirikiri, marine engineer John Lumsden and environmental scientist Shane Kelly.

Dead seabirds on the shore in 2011 after thick fuel-oil from the stricken Rena fouled Papamoa beaches.

The grounding of the container ship Rena occurred near the Port of Tauranga.

*Damning report into Rena grounding

*Rena captain and officer sent to jail

Rena spill-affected penguins were rehabilitated in 2015.

Rena owner Daina Shipping Company provided 23 technical reports and 151 submissions were heard in response.

Konstantinos Zacharatos, director of Daina Shipping's parent company, Costamare Inc, told the commissioners the wreck posed no further risk to the environment.

Local body politicians, community and business groups and some Bay of Plenty iwi supported the application, he said.

Buddy Mikaere has been consistent in voicing Motiti Island Maori opposition to allowing the wreck to stay.

He said there was no guarantee in Daina Shipping's claim that the wreck posed no environmental threat.

The Rena salvage cost has exceeded $500 million and is the second most expensive in history, behind the Costa Concordia, wrecked off the coast of Italy.

The 236-metre Rena was carrying 1650 tonnes of fuel oil and 1368 containers, including 121 containers packed with perishable goods and 32 with dangerous goods when it wrecked.

Of the 1712 cubic metres of heavy fuel oil on board when it grounded, 244 escaped to the sea and 1467 cubic metres were recovered.

In 2012, the men responsible for causing the country's biggest maritime environmental disaster, captain Mauro Balomaga and navigator Leonil Relon were sentenced to seven months in jail.

In 2014, a damning Transport Accident Investigation Commission report into their actions found the Rena bridge crew failed to stick to navigation and watchkeeping standards for at least six voyages before the Astrolabe grounding.

About 800 people were involved in the oil spill response team at its height, including 500 military personnel.

Registered volunteers numbered 8000 and collected 1000 tonnes of oily waste from the Bay of Plenty coastline. More oil was pumped from the wreck by salvage crew in the months after the grounding.

There was 1000 tonnes of non-metallic debris, including 720kg of plastic beads recovered.

Hundreds of seabirds were cleaned and released and 2062 dead birds were collected.