Grounded Ship off New Zealand Continues Leaking Oil

New Zealand authorities are bracing themselves for an environmental catastrophe as the containership that hit a reef earlier this week, the “Rena”, continues to leak heavy fuel oil into the ocean, now leaving a 3 mile long oil slick about 12 nautical miles from the Tauranga Harbour.

The Rena struck the Astrolabe Reef on Wednesday morning, and at first was not seen as a major environmental threat.  Since the initial incident reports, fears have been mounting that the ship is deteriorating and has the possibility of breaking up and sinking as rough weather conditions, which would release the 1,700 tons of heavy fuel into the Bay of Plenty.  So far it is not clear how much oil has leaked from the Rena, and none of the oil has been evacuated thus far.

The Bay of Plenty is a top tourist destination for New Zealand, and also is home to a variety of marine animals, like whales, dolphins, seals, penguins, and bird species, according to BBC.  Four seabirds have already been found dead covered in oil.  If the ship sinks without removal of the fuel, officials forecast that it will be disastrous for the beach and for the wildlife, citing that the oil slick has the possibility to reach the coast in just a few days, after aerial dispersants failed to contain the slick. 

Transport Minister Steven Joyce stated the while salvage teams are working hard to remove oil from the ship and to protect the coast, but difficulty lies in the fuel’s toxicity to humans, as well as animals He added that the situation with the oil is going to get worse before it gets any better. 
NZ Environment Minister Nick Smith said that the nation is readily preparing for what could be their most significant maritime pollution catastrophe in decades.

Two wildlife rescue centers have been established by the Department of Conservation to clean up the oil-stricken animals of the area. 

All 23 crewmembers remain onboard the vessel as of Friday afternoon, as they tirelessly try to pump water out of the Rena’s hull and transfer oil to safer parts of the vessel.  Impending bad weather that threatens the safety of the ship and its crewman becomes another serious threat as the mariners do not wish to abandon ship.

It is still unclear why the Rena hit the reef.  

To read more about the initial grounding incident, click here.