Wreck cargo washes ashore
Source: Agencies |
January 10, 2012, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A LIGHT sheen of oil extended about three kilometers from a wrecked cargo ship that split in two over the weekend, but so far the damage appears small compared to the environmental disaster created when the vessel ran aground in October, New Zealand authorities said yesterday.
About 150 cargo containers also spilled from the Rena, and officials were warning beachgoers to stay away from the debris washed ashore.
Some people have been seen scavenging bags of powdered milk from the beach, but authorities warned the food may be unsafe.
Bruce Fraser, a spokesman for Maritime New Zealand, which oversees shipping, said it estimates less than 100 tons of oil remain on the wreck.
The Rena spilled about 400 tons of fuel oil when it ran aground October 5 on Astrolabe Reef, 22 kilometers from Tauranga Harbor on North Island. That spill, considered the worst maritime environmental disaster in New Zealand history, polluted pristine beaches.
Authorities found 2,000 dead seabirds from the spill and estimate 10 times as many might have perished.
Since then, salvage crews have removed about 1,100 tons of oil from the ship, along with nearly 400 containers. It was a slow process to remove cargo from the wreck, however, and hundreds of containers remained by the time pounding seas broke it apart.
The two pieces of the ship are now too precarious for crews to attempt further salvage efforts, at least until the seas calm. Salvage crews are focused on preventing more containers washing ashore.
Debris that has washed ashore includes milk powder, timber, plastics and paper.
Waihi Police Sergeant Dave Litton said police closed public access to popular Waihi Beach yesterday morning after four containers washed ashore.
About 150 cargo containers also spilled from the Rena, and officials were warning beachgoers to stay away from the debris washed ashore.
Some people have been seen scavenging bags of powdered milk from the beach, but authorities warned the food may be unsafe.
Bruce Fraser, a spokesman for Maritime New Zealand, which oversees shipping, said it estimates less than 100 tons of oil remain on the wreck.
The Rena spilled about 400 tons of fuel oil when it ran aground October 5 on Astrolabe Reef, 22 kilometers from Tauranga Harbor on North Island. That spill, considered the worst maritime environmental disaster in New Zealand history, polluted pristine beaches.
Authorities found 2,000 dead seabirds from the spill and estimate 10 times as many might have perished.
Since then, salvage crews have removed about 1,100 tons of oil from the ship, along with nearly 400 containers. It was a slow process to remove cargo from the wreck, however, and hundreds of containers remained by the time pounding seas broke it apart.
The two pieces of the ship are now too precarious for crews to attempt further salvage efforts, at least until the seas calm. Salvage crews are focused on preventing more containers washing ashore.
Debris that has washed ashore includes milk powder, timber, plastics and paper.
Waihi Police Sergeant Dave Litton said police closed public access to popular Waihi Beach yesterday morning after four containers washed ashore.
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