Grounded cargo ship breaks up on NZ reef

A CARGO ship grounded off the New Zealand coast since October has split in two, spilling containers and debris and sparking fears of a fresh oil leak.

The wreck of the Greek-owned Rena was described as New Zealand’s worst maritime environmental disaster even before the rear section of the ship, lashed by pounding seas, broke away yesterday.

The ship previously spilled heavy fuel oil that fouled North Island beaches and killed up to 20,000 sea birds. Despite salvage efforts, nearly 400 tons of oil remain on board.

Maritime chiefs said the front section of the wreck remained stuck in its original position, but the stern section slipped at least 100 feet away from the bow and was “moving significantly”, pounded by 19ft swells.

“There has been a significant discharge of containers and container debris from the ship,” said maritime department spokesman Ross Henderson. He warned that the storm that split the vessel would continue for another three to four days.

Alex van Wijngaarden, on-scene commander for the national response team, said oil was expected to come ashore later yesterday.

“While reports at this stage indicate there has not been a significant release of oil, with the Rena in its current fragile state, a further release is likely,” he said.

The containers, meanwhile, spilled goods including timber and bags of milk powder. The debris could begin washing ashore later.

Some containers have been sighted floating up to 32km north-west of the stricken ship, said Port of Tauranga chief executive Mark Cairns.

“They have been caught in a strong coastal current” fuelled by the storm, he said.

The Rena ran aground on Astrolabe Reef, 22km from Tauranga Harbour on North Island on October 5. Salvage crews have removed more than 1,100 tons of oil from the stricken vessel but about 385 tons remain on board — about the same amount that has already leaked into the sea.

The crews have plucked 389 of the ship’s 1,370 loaded cargo containers from its decks since it ran aground, while some 98 have been washed over board in the past three months.

One eyewitness, Warwick Roberts, said the rear section was sliding along the reef.

The “stern has reared up and centre section is not visible. Large breaking waves observed on bow,” he told the New Zealand Herald.

A 3km no-go zone is in force around the wreck.

Investigations by The Associated Press last month revealed that Australian authorities impounded the vessel, but released it the next day after Liberian maritime authorities intervened, essentially saying the ship was safe to sail and the problems could be fixed later. The Rena, like many ships, is registered in Liberia.

Some 10 weeks later, the Rena ran full-steam into a well-marked reef off the coast of New Zealand. It is not clear whether the previously identified problems played any role.

The captain and Rena’s navigating officer face criminal charges of operating a ship in a dangerous or risky manner, polluting the environment and altering the ship’s documents after the crash.