VIDEO: Update on Rena, Hope for Resume of Oil Pumping

After days of inaction on the failing MV Rena caused by ill weather conditions, salvage teams are hoping to be able to resume the oil pumping operation on Thursday morning.

The Rena is still sitting on the Astrolabe Reef off of New Zealand coasts.  While she remains somewhat stable, the crack on the containership is slowly widening as salvage teams have had to sit back and watch while 40-meter swells and 50-km winds have ravaged the Bay of Plenty.  The teams did, however, manage to complete some installations of booster pumps that they hope will kick start the pumping process.

Watch the aerial video below provided by AP on October 19th to view the stranded Rena.

Still only 90-tons of fuel have been evacuated from the Rena, leaving the 1,300-tons remaining fair game to worsen the already dire spill situation in New Zealand.

TVNZ said that spokesman of Svitzer Salvage, Drew Shannon, confirmed their expectance to resume pumping on Thursday morning. 

Authorities have had vessels monitoring Rena’s hull overnight to monitor the wreck, and are hoping to enter the damaged right side of the ship for the first time to fully examine how steadily held together the ship really is. 

So far, 350-tons of fuel have spilled into the ocean, as well as 88 containers since hitting the Astrolabe Reef two weeks ago.