Taharoa Destiny, image courtesy NYK Lines

On May 11, NYK accepted delivery of the Taharoa Destiny, a new 175,000 DWT class vessel dedicated to the transport of iron sand slurry from New Zealand.

Never heard of an iron sand slurry ship?  Nor had we.

Essentially, a pipeline from shore is used to load this vessel by pumping the iron sand slurry into the vessel cargo holds. After the loading operation is completed, the water in the hold is discharged before the ship sails from port.

This is the only vessel in the world designed to load iron sand slurry and thus requires advanced operating and loading/discharging technique and know-how.

A fly over shot of the M/V Rena grounded on Astrolabe Reef on October 8. Photo: Maritime New Zealand

An interim report into the grounding of the containership M/V Rena reveals that the crew may have been taking a shortcut when the vessel struck the Astrolabe Reef in the early morning hours on October 5th, causing New Zealand’s worst environmental maritime disaster to date.

The report, released last week by New Zealand’s Transport Accident Investigation Commission, describes how the Rena left Napier, New Zealand for a 3am meeting with a pilot boat from Tauranga guided by the use of its auto pilot, GPS positions, and nautical charts. However at approximately 1.50am, the report says, the M/V Rena was on a direct track for Astrolabe Reef indicating that at some point the crew strayed from its intended course, causing the grounding.

“At about 0205 (2.05am) the master noticed an intermittent echo on the radar. The echo was about 2.6 nautical miles (4.8 kilometres) dead ahead of the Rena. The master showed the echo on the radar to the watch-keeping able-bodied seaman and they used binoculars to look through the windows of the bridge for the cause of the echo. They could not see anything, so they moved to the bridge wing to look from there. When again nothing could be seen, the master said he decided to plot the Rena’s position on the chart, so began to walk through the wheelhouse to the chartroom,” the report says.

“At the time of 0214 (2.14am) as the master made his way to the chartroom the Rena struck Astrolabe Reef while traveling at a speed of 17 knots (31.5 kilometres per hour).”

The interim report concludes by saying that the Commission “is continuing to collate and verify information directly related to the grounding and is also pursuing several lines of inquiry of a wider systemic nature”.

The report, based on facts of the accident that have been able to be verified to date, does not contain an analysis of why the events happened as they did or what changes can be made in the future to help prevent such disasters, adding that these matters will be covered in the Commission’s final inquiry report.

So far, the captain and 2nd Officer of M/V Rena have been arrested in connection to the incident and face a number of charges including the discharge of harmful substances from ships, operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk, and wilfully attempting to pervert the course of justice by altering the ship’s documents following the grounding.

The salvage effort continues at the MV Rena shipwreck, image courtesy Maritime New Zealand

Salvors have removed a total of 566 containers from Rena by Svitzer, and a further 72  have been recovered from the shore or sea by Braemar Howells container recovery teams, bringing the total number of containers now processed ashore to 638.

The container recovery is nearly complete, however due to a nasty storm rolling in tonight over New Zealand’s North Island, the salvage operation has been put on hold.  Forecasters expect winds up to 50 knots and 5 meter seas in the vicinity of Astrolabe Reef.

Valid at: 1:00pm Friday 2 Mar 2012

The M/V Rena as observed from a morning overflight on January 24. Photo: LOC

The Master and Second Officer of the cargo vessel Rena today pleaded guilty to 10 out of the 11 charges laid by Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) against the men following an investigation into the ship’s grounding on the Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga on 5 October.

MNZ charged the Master and the ship’s Second Officer (Navigation) with a number of offences following the ship’s grounding.

Charges included:

• Section 65 of the Maritime Transport Act (MTA) 1994, “for operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk”
• Section 338 (1B) and (15B) of the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) relating to the “discharge of harmful substances from ships or offshore installations”
•  S117(e) & 66 of the Crimes Act, alleging they “willfully attempted to pervert the course of justice” by altering ship’s documents subsequent to the grounding

The Master faces four charges under the Crimes Act, and the Second Officer three charges.  Each charge carries a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment.

Today, appearing in the Tauranga District Court, the Master entered guilty pleas to all six charges laid against him.

The Second Officer pleaded guilty to the MTA charge and all three Crimes Act charges, but entered no plea to the RMA charge. If necessary a two day hearing will take place on the 22 and 23 May to hear legal argument regarding the RMA charge.

Sentencing for both men will take place in the Tauranga District Court on 25 May.

The M/V Rena as observed from a morning overflight on January 24. Photo: LOC

Salvors working on the stricken M/V Rena are focusing primarily on removing containers from the bow section ahead of heavy weather that is forecasted over the next two days, according to an update from Maritime New Zealand.

A salvage team from Svitzer was able to remove one container of paper products from the vessel yesterday and today are installing sliding beams on the bow section so they can move containers overboard so can be recovered by a crane aboard the Smit Borneo.

Meanwhile, workers from the container recovery firm, Braemer Howells, has been able unloaded the dangerous goods containers from the bow section of the vessel.  The containers held empty hydrogen peroxide tanks that officials said “did not pose a major hazard”.

Officials add that plans are in place to remove 25 one-ton bags of garbage–made up mostly of timber and plastic–from Motiti Island next week using a heli-lift and divers are working to cut up two containers which are partly submerged in the Bowentown area.

A morning observation flight on January 26th confirmed a light silver and rainbow oil sheen stretching south of the wreck for approximately 4km with multiple teams of oil spill responders working to assess shoreline clean-up.

Weather in the area is forecasted to deteriorate today with wind rising to 20 knots and swells increasing up to 2m around the wreck. The rough weather is forecast to remain through Saturday.

The 3,351 TEU container ship M/V Rena ran aground on Astrolabe Reef near Tauranga, New Zealand on October 5th and on January 8th broke in two after being battered by heavy seas and wind.  The vessel is owned by the Greek shipping company Costamare Inc. through one of its subsidiaries, Daina Shipping Co.

The R/V Nathaniel B Palmer icebreaker. Photo: Wiki Commons

A Korean fishing vessel caught fire early Wednesday morning in the Ross Sea, approximately 2,000 nautical miles southeast of New Zealand, killing three crew members and injuring several others.  The RCCNZ says that as many as 40 crew members were onboard when it caught fire.

The vessel, the 51 meter Jeong Woo 2, sent out a distress call during the early hours of Wednesday morning which was picked up by another Korean fishing vessel in the area and then relayed to officials from the Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ). A number of vessels responded to the call including the two Korean fishing vessels, the Jeong Woo 3 and Hong Jin 707, were able to reach the Jeong Woo 2 and evacuate the crew from the burning vessel.

Three of the crew members were reported missing and presumed dead after the fire tore through the accomodation block of the vessel.  Two others are understood to have suffered extensive burn injuries and another five crew members are also injured with less serious burns, RCCNZ says.

The RCCNZ later confirmed that the injured crew members from the burning vessel had been transferred to the United States research vessel Nathaniel B Palmer, which has medical staff and facilities on board.  The vessel is now sailing to McMurdo Base about 600 kilometers to the southwest.  The trip is expected to take between 24 and 30 hours, depending on ice and weather conditions.

Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator Geoff Lunt said the Nathaniel B Palmer reported on Wednesday evening that the vessel was well alight from bow to stern, but still on an even keel.

It’s been a busy couple weeks for rescue coordinators at RCCNZ.  In December, a fishing vessel with 32 crew began taking on water in the same general area of the Ross Sea and it took 10 days for the rescues to reach the stranded ship due to ice conditions.   Earlier, in 2010, a Korean fishing vessel sank with a crew of 42 while fishing in the Southern Ocean. Only 20 were rescued in that incident.

MV Rena splits in two on a New Zealand reef. Sunday, January 8. Image courtesy Maritime New Zealand

UPDATE: Monday, 6pm EST: The sea has claimed the stern section of the stricken M/V Rena Tuesday morning (local time).  We’ve started a new post with further information along with several incident photos.  Read: Rena’s Stern Slips Off Astrolabe Reef, Sinks [PHOTOS]

UPDATE: Sunday, 6pm EST: MNZ says that four containers and a considerable amount of debris have washed up on Waihi Beach this morning.  Another seven containers are known to be within a mile of shore, and container recovery company Braemar Howells is using tugs to tow them offshore. Over flights have observed up to 40 containers in the water. Braemar Howells has been able to tag 21 with buoys and will be corralled and collected as soon as conditions allow.

Salvors have not yet been able to land on the stern section of the vessel to assess its state, although a Monday morning aerial observation showed no significant change in its position on the reef. MNZ Salvage Advisor Jon Walker said the stern section would not float if it came off the reef. The bow section of the vessel is still wedged firmly in its original position, but is fully exposed to the sea suffering internal damage from the continued heavy sea state [See photos below].

A three nautical mile exclusion zone is in place around the MV Rena, along with a 1500 feet aerial exclusion zone.

UPDATE Sunday, 12pm EST: Container recovery company Braemar Howells now estimates that between 200 and 300 containers of the approximately 830 that were still remaining on the Rena when she broke have been lost. 30 had been identified and with 17 tagged with buoys. Meanwhile Authorities have advised communities along the Bay of Plenty coastline that container debris and oil from the MV Rena is likely to begin coming ashore overnight Sunday and Monday.

The current bad weather is forecasted to slowly ease over next 3 – 4 days although seas are expected to remain rough with 4 – 4.5m swells.

Original: Severe weather overnight has separated the MV Rena into two pieces, which are now about 20-30m apart on the Astrolabe Reef, Maritime New Zealand says.

Both sections of the vessel still remain on the reef, with the forward section remaining firmly wedged, while the aft section has separated and moved clockwise (or to starboard) about 13 degrees, after the ship was hit by seas of over 7m overnight, further worsening the damage it sustained following its grounding on the reef just over three months ago. The current bad weather is forecast to slowly ease over next 3 – 4 days.

MNZ Salvage Unit Manager David Billington said the fresh damage to the ship had resulted in the loss of a large number of containers and debris.

“While the two sections of the Rena currently remain on the reef, there’s no question the ship is badly damaged with the severe movement breaking off many of the hatch covers and releasing containers from the holds. Salvors are now working to assess the state of the vessel so that naval architects can undertake further calculations get gain a clearer picture of its ongoing stability.”

Mr Billington said the vessel Go Canopus was currently connected to the aft section of the Rena and was continuing to monitor its status.

At least 23 containers had been confirmed as being lost from the ship, which were floating or partly submerged, with another 7 (unconfirmed) thought to be in the water. However, Mr Billington said more were likely to be lost. There was also a large debris trail, including wood, around the vessel.

Container recovery company Bramear Howells had tugs en route to tag containers with buoys as it was currently too rough to tow or safely recover them, while vessels with trawl nets would also be sent out to collect debris once weather conditions improved.

Navigational warnings had also been issued to shipping, with the port company communicating with individual ships via port radio and warnings issued to recreational vessels via Coastguard radio. Shipping lanes were also being monitored for containers and debris. The Bay of Plenty Regional Council Harbour Master is considering extending the 3nm exclusion zone due to the large debris field from Rena.

National On Scene Commander Alex van Wijngaarden said the National Response Team had been mobilised, which included trained oil spill response and wildlife experts, who were preparing for the likelihood of more oil coming ashore.

“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. While it is unknown at this stage exactly how much oil may be released, teams have been mobilised and will be ready to respond to anything that may come ashore. The wildlife response had also been increased to help deal with any affected wildlife.

“At this stage, preliminary trajectory modelling predicts that any oil released will come ashore around midnight tonight, landing on beaches south east of Mt Maunganui – however, this could change at any time depending on the weather and wind conditions. We also remind people that there may be large amounts of debris or containers that could come ashore so they need to exercise common sense and please keep clear. Instead, if people do see any oil or container debris, please report it to us via the 0800 OIL SPILL number (0800 645 774).”

Sunday, January 8. Image courtesy Maritime New Zealand

Sunday, January 8. Image: Maritime New Zealand

Sunday, January 8. Maritime New Zealand

An overflight of the Russian fishing vessel Sparta on Dec. 16, 2011. Photo: Maritime New Zealand

An ice-strengthened research vessel has reached the stricken fishing vessel Sparta and her 32 crew after 10 days stuck in Antarctic ice, according to Maritime New Zealand.  The vessel has been stuck since striking ice on December 16, resulting in a 30 cm hole in her hull.

Rescue coordinators at RCCNZ confirmed this morning that the R/V Araon, which has ice breaking capabilities, arrived on scene at the Sparta early on December 26th. By 5 am officials confirmed that the Araon was alongside Sparta and transferring fuel, which is expected to lift the bow of out of the water enough so that the hole can be fixed.

Sparta issued a mayday call at 3am December 16 saying the vessel was taking on water and listing to 13 degrees.  To make problems worse the vessel was about 2,000 nautical miles SE of New Zealand and practically sitting on the Antarctic ice shelf, several days from the closest vessel, not to mention a vessel with icebreaking capabilities.  After ditching cargo and non-essential crew onto the ice, the vessel was stabilized and receiving air drops of supplies – including pumps and patches – from an RNZAF C-130 Hercules aircraft.  Commissioned by Sparta’s owner, the Aaron left New Zealand on December 18th and was expected to take eight days to reach Sparta.

Sparta is now expected to be escorted out of the area under her own power pending successful completion of repairs.  The 32 crew on board are said to be safe.

In this photo released by Maritime New Zealand, the Russian fishing vessel Sparta is seen in waters in the Ross Sea near Antarctica, Dec. 16, 2011. (AP)

Crew on board the Russian vessel Sparta have requested more equipment to help repair damage to the boat’s hull while rescue efforts are hampered by icy conditions in the southern ocean.

Sparta issued a distress call around 3am on Friday from a position next to the Antarctic ice shelf, about 2000 nautical miles (3704 kilometres) south east of New Zealand.

The 48m vessel, with 32 crew on board, had hit ice and put a 30cm hole in the hull, 1.5m below the water line. It was taking on water and listing 13 degrees.

The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) tasked three nearby vessels to assist Sparta, but all three have been hampered by heavy sea ice.

One, the New Zealand vessel San Aspiring, was released from the rescue yesterday after its crew determined the more than 470 nautical mile (NM) journey was too dangerous.

The Norwegian vessel Sel Jevaer is only 19NM away but is currently hemmed in by ice and unable to proceed. Sparta’s sister ship, Chiyo Maru no. 3 is slowly making its way towards the stricken vessel but is still days away.

Yesterday, a Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) C130 Hercules dropped extra pumping equipment and fuel to the vessel, after a seven-hour flight from Christchurch.

The Hercules was returning today and due back in New Zealand tonight.

RCCNZ Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator Neville Blakemore said the crew was continuing to pump water from the ship using the on-board pumping equipment and the one delivered yesterday.

“They are keeping ahead of the water ingress using two pumps,” Mr Blakemore said.

“But they are having difficulty in trying to fix a patch to the damaged part of the hull because they need to stop one of the pumps to do this, and then the water level creeps up again.”

Mr Blakemore said Sparta’s stability was currently the number one priority for the rescue operation.
“With help days away at least, we need to keep the crew on board Sparta where they have their best chance of survival.

“The crew has manoeuvred the vessel alongside the ice shelf and attached mooring lines to the ice. They have also deployed their life rafts which are alongside Sparta.

“They have told us they need more equipment to assist with repairs and securing the vessel.”

Mr Blakemore said the ship’s agent was sourcing the equipment and RCCNZ would coordinate its delivery.

Sparta’s owner has commissioned the South Korean icebreaker Araon to go to Sparta to offer assistance. Araon left New Zealand just after midnight and is expected to take about eight days to reach Sparta.

Weather conditions in the area remain calm.

Nearly all containers have been removed from the stern of the Rena as seen in this photo taken November 23. Photo: Mariitme New Zealand

Maritime New Zealand said today it will conduct an investigation into 21 containers containing dangerous goods on board the stricken M/V Rena that were not originally declared by shippers on the ships manifest.  The investigation was launched after MNZ was advised Tuesday by insurers representing Rena’s charterers of the 21 containers, in addition to the just 11 containers containing dangerous goods known to be on board.  While the material in the containers presents a low risk to the environment and salvors in its current state, officials are left wondering why the it has taken so long to receive such information.

“Immediately after the grounding of the Rena on 5 October, as Director of MNZ, I requested information about all dangerous goods on board the ship from MSC as declared by the shippers, However, for reasons still unknown, the contents of these 21 containers were not declared as dangerous goods in the original manifest provided to MNZ and as required under the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code,” said Director of MNZ, Catherine Taylor.

The ships manifest shows the product as “Cover Bath Material” and “Pure Tapped Bath Material”, a by-product of the aluminium smelting process, which is considered low risk unless ingested or inhaled directly in its dry powdered form. MSC also advises this material is known as cryolite.

“Since learning of this new information on Tuesday (22 November), MNZ has spent the last few days working extensively with various scientific, environmental and health experts to accurately assess the risk posed by cryolite to the marine environment and to people,” Ms Taylor said. “We have also been given a strong assurance by MSC that there are no other potentially dangerous goods on board that have not been declared.”

According to MNZ, twenty of the newly discovered dangerous goods containers are located in Rena’s hold 3, which suffered considerable damage in the vessels grounding.

“While this late notification is frustrating, it’s simply another issue Rena has thrown at us that we have to get on and deal with. It’s the typical nature of salvage operations that these sorts of issues will come up, and our plans remain flexible enough to respond to them as they occur,” Ms Taylor said.