The wreck of the MV Rena on Astrolabe Reef no longer poses a hazard to navigation nearly four and a half years after the containership ran aground resulting in New Zealand's worst maritime environmental disaster. The news comes as Director of Maritime NZ withdrew two statutory notices that declared the wreck a hazard to navigation (under section 100A of the Maritime … [Read more...]
MV Rena Owner Allowed to Abandon Wreck
The owners of the MV Rena will be able to abandon what remains of the shipwreck on New Zealand's Astrolabe Reef but will need to pay for ongoing costs under a strict court order. The ruling was handed down Friday by panel of Commissioners following a five-week hearing that ended last October to determine whether Rena's owner, Diana Shipping, could abandon the remains of the … [Read more...]
Rena Salvage Allowed ‘Temporary Pause’
Authorities in New Zealand have granted a "temporary pause" in the salvage of the MV Rena shipwreck on Astrolabe Reef pending a decision over the future of the wreckage and cleanup. The Rena’s owners, Daina Shipping, have lodged a resource consent application under New Zealand's Resource Management Act seeking permission abandon sections of the wreck and associated debris in … [Read more...]
Rena Grounding Final Report Reveals Errors, Lack of Oversight
A final report into causes and circumstances of the 2011 grounding of the MV Rena containership on New Zealand's Astrolabe Reef has found that it was the failure of the master and crew to follow proper voyage planning, navigation and watchkeeping practices and the ship manager's insufficient oversight of vessel's safety management system that led to the grounding and … [Read more...]
Krill Swarms Spark MV Rena Oil Spill Scare
Reports of "big blotches" of oil spotted near the wreck site of the MV Rena at Astrolabe Reef and feared to be coming from the ship's remains have turned out to be just giant, perfectly natural swarms of krill. Last week, the Bay of Plenty Times ran a report saying that large brown plumes were spotted near the site of the MV Rena, which shipwrecked on New Zealand's Astrolabe … [Read more...]
MV Rena Abandonment Decision Heads to Environment Court With Council’s Approval
The decision to abandon the wreckage of the former MV Rena containership from New Zealand's Astrolabe Reef will head to the country's top Environment Court with the recommendation from local authorities that the full removal of wreckage is not feasible or recommended. The MV Rena ran aground on Astrolabe Reef in October 5, 2011 while carrying over 1,300 containers and 1,700 … [Read more...]
Decision to Abandon Rena Wreckage Heads to Environment Court
The Bay of Plenty Regional Council will not make the decision to abandon the wreck of the MV Rena at Astrolabe Reef. The Chief Executive of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Mary-Anne Macleod, made the announcement Friday that the Council has decided to not make the final call and will instead refer the "Application for resource consent" to abandon the wreck to the … [Read more...]