New Zealand: Salvors Suspend Activity on Rena Wreck Due to Weather Conditions

Maritime New Zealand reports that no salvage activity was undertaken over the weekend due to the weather conditions and the Smit Borneo being secured alongside at the port of Tauranga for maintenance.

Salvage

The Go Canopus remained close to the Rena and is monitoring the wreck.

Wreck and sea/swell conditions were monitored by the Go Canopus over the weekend and details reported to Svitzer every two hours over the weekend. It appears there was no further break-up of the wreck.

Svitzer flew over the wreck on Saturday to inspect Rena. They noted no further obvious damage to the wreck.

Svitzer are sending a small salvage team out to Rena today by boat and a helicopter will be used to assist in the removal of the last section of the reefer unit on the fore deck.

They will also try to install the new mooring chains on the wreck in readiness for the Smit Borneo when it arrives offshore again to resume work.

Containers

Five months to the day of the Rena grounding Braemar Howells has discharged 571 containers, with a further 72 recovered from the sea or beaches.

Due to adverse weather conditions no vessels were out at sea over the weekend. Instead, clean up operations were carried out by means of beach surveys between Waihi Beach and Bowentown areas, down the coast to the Kaituna Cut / Papamoa area.

With the improvement in weather conditions today, a barge and fast response vessel are at White and Whale Islands picking up debris.

Operations continue at Matakana Island today with helicopter lifting of timber to a waiting barge – other debris will also be moved off the island. Timber that has been wood-chipped will be used to surface roads on the island and work will be underway on that project today.

MNZ / Spill response

A five-day clean-up operation will begin today near Whangaparoa, towards Cape Runaway. A team of 12 will be working to clear old weathered oil from an area of rocky foreshore.

There was little activity over the weekend due to the extreme weather conditions.

[mappress]

Source: Maritime NZ, March 6, 2012