Asia/Pacific News
Heavy Fuel Oil Will Leach From Rena Wreck Over Time
About one or two tonnes of heavy fuel oil still in the wreck of the MV Rena will leach out over time, but the ship's owners and insurers say it is best to leave what's left of the ship in place, the New Zealand Herald reports.
Full removal of the wreck is possible, but it would not return the reef to its state before the grounding, and it would involve health and safety risk to salvors because of the extensive diving involved, said Matt Casey, a lawyer speaking on behalf of Daina Shipping Company and insurer the Swedish Club.
Salvage workers have already removed the vast majority of the 1646 tonnes of heavy fuel oil that were on the ship, but one to two tonnes is believed to remain in Rena's stern.
Another 239 tonnes of the fuel escaped into the sea or landed on beaches.
Six containers of "potential concern" also remain, with cargoes of ferrosilicon, plastic beads, and copper.
A contractor for the ship owner's insurance company said marine life is beginning to encrust containers remaining at the site.
Rena ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef near the port of Tauranga, New Zealand on October 5, 2011, with the country's Environment minister, Nick Smith, calling it their "most significant maritime environmental disaster."
A New Zealand Labour Party official said in August the clean-up operation had cost tax-payers $50 million.
