Asia/Pacific News
MV Rena Officers Deported After Early Release
The captain and second officer of the MV Rena were deported back to the Philippines on Thursday having served half of the seven month jail sentence handed down for their part in what the country's Environment minister, Nick Smith called New Zealand's "most significant maritime environmental disaster."
"Under the Parole Act, anyone sentenced to a term of imprisonment to two years or less must be released at one half. It's no different for these guys." Paul Mabey, QC who represented both men was quoted by local media as saying.
The Rena's captain Mauro Balomaga and second officer Leonil Relon were both jailed for seven months in May 2012 having already pleaded guilty to a range of charges including attempting to pervert the course of justice by altering navigation records after the accident, operating a ship in a dangerous manner, and discharging harmful substances from the cargo vessel.
The New Zealand Herald said an Immigration New Zealand spokesman had confirmed that the men had left New Zealand.
"Understandably, they're looking forward to going home to their families," commented Mabey.
He also said he did not know if the men would choose to work on ships again "but the company has kept their jobs open."
Shortcuts
The MV Rena sank after running aground on the Astrolabe Reef near the port of Tauranga, New Zealand on October 5, 2011 spilling over 300 tonnes of fuel into the water.
The Associated Press reported that investigators concluded that Balomaga and Relon took shortcuts on their planned route as they tried to reach the nearby Port of Tauranga by a deadline.
Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby said he would have concerns if the pair were ever put back in charge of a maritime vessel.
"They were found guilty of falsifying documentation and they showed incompetent seamanship. The jail thing is neither here nor there in comparison," he said.
The Government currently estimates the clean-up cost of the incident at NZ $130 million ($106 million) and has been criticised for tax-payers having to pay some $50 million of the bill, something New Zealand's opposition Labour Party Environment spokesperson Grant Robertson said was a result of "the Government's folly of not passing legislation that would have seen the owners of the vessel picking up the tab."
"I don't think the taxpayers or the ratepayers should be paying for this incident," said Crosby.
