Crews rush to contain oil slick off New Zealand beach

Environmental emergency teams are rushing to lay down booms around an oil slick leaking from a grounded cargo ship off the New Zealand city of Gisborne.

The first seabirds have been caught in the heavy fuel oil washing from the stranded vessel after a pollution control boom failed overnight.

The Japanese-owned, South Korean-manned log carrier Jody F Millennium got stuck on a sandbar in a storm on Wednesday, 350 yards from shore.

Lagoons to the south are breeding grounds for a rare seabird, the New Zealand spotted dotterel.

Maritime operations commander John Lee-Richards said: "There has been some bird life affected in a nearby creek after the birds caught some slick on their feathers."

Oil began leaking from the fuel tank shortly after midday on Friday, and sea water is flowing into the hull through three visible cracks in the hull, said Maritime Safety Authority director Russell Kilvington.

The grounded ship, which was carrying 650 tons of fuel, has been declared a maritime emergency and officials are working to control the oil flow. Teams with pumps are on board while a helicopter sprayed chemicals to break up the slick.

"There is no way we can think about refloating this vessel over the next few days. We can only pray she stays intact and doesn't leak" at a faster rate, Mr Kilvington said.

While calm weather is aiding efforts to contain the spill, an easterly swell is expected in the next 24 hours, which will wash against the stranded ship and further damage its cracked hull.

Overnight, thick fumes from the fuel forced police to evacuate dozens of people from their homes near Gisborne's Waikanae beach front.