Third of Rena Oil Removed

By 3pm on 24th October 2011, a total of 481 tonnes of oil had been pumped off the grounded Rena, at Tauranga, New Zealand, helped by changes to the pumping system now in place for the port number 5 tank, which originally held 772 tonnes of oil. Nearly a third of the oil on board has been pumped off the ship. Getting further pumping systems in place for all the fuel tanks is expected to be a challenging job still lying ahead for the salvage team.  

Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) Salvage Unit Manager Bruce Anderson said two booster pumps had sped up this system but the twelve-member Svitzer salvage team on the ship are planning further improvements. The salvage team is also looking at how to get the 220 tonnes of oil out of the two settling tanks in the engine room.  He said that the fuel pump connected to the settling tanks is in good condition, so the team is focused on how to get cabling in to power it up. They must then work out the best system for pumping that oil out.

 

However, the most challenging tank is the starboard number 5, which is under water and holds about 358 tonnes of oil. According to mr Anderson divers were currently working on this tank in risky conditions: dark, oily and full of water. The challenge is to fit a barrier or ‘coffer dam' in the corridor where the tank is located so the salvage team can pump the water out, get a clear working space and start installing a pumping system for this tank. This is risky and takes time. They are diving in dark, murky passageways full of oily water and trying to get large, heavy pumps into position."

 

National On-Scene Commander Rob Service said no fresh oil had been released today from the ship.

The oil spill from Saturday night remains around the Rena and is predicted to move slowly north from Wednesday. Based on current conditions, some oil may reach Tûhua/Mayor Island.

 

"We sent a team to the island this afternoon to assess what we can do to protect wildlife if we get some shoreline impact there in the next few days."

 

He said the conditions on the water were "very dynamic", which made trajectory modelling difficult.

 

The Oil Spill Response Team is keeping a close eye on the oil through regular observation from the air and by boat.

 

Rob Service said MNZ was also working closely with public health officials to assess when the current beach access restrictions could be lifted.