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.

The container retrieval vessel SeaTow 60 being positioned next to Rena. Photo: Maritime New Zealand

Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) reports that salvage crews have removed most of the oil from the M/V Rena, the containership which ran aground on a New Zealand reef early last month.

The race to remove the oil from Rena’s hull began days after the grounding with local authorities working fast to secure the wreck before in climate weather further damaged the hull. But today the focus shifted. MNZ said salvage teams have stopped pumping operations from the submerged starboard tank after they started pumping sea water instead of oil from the ship. The team had been pumping sea water into the tank to get the oil to rise to the surface but are now conducting a stop-and-go operation to capture the tank’s residual fuel oil.

“The salvors have reached the point in the tank where the oil and water meet,” said MNZ manager Arthur Jobard in a statement to reporters. “They have suspended pumping to allow more oil to float to the surface and will resume pumping a bit later on today.”

Authorities also stated that 1,454 tons of oil have been pumped from the ship and they estimate that 2,000 barrels escaped to the sea. With the oil mostly removed the team is sending a sea crane to the vessel to begin the second phase of the salvage; the removal of 1,280 containers which remain on board.

The second phase, however, is expected to take much longer. The crane which will be used to pluck each container from the vessel’s deck sits upon a barge and is susceptible to high seas and weather conditions at the reef. An MNZ official stated that the problems “include weather and how complex it proves to be to access the containers, many of which are badly damaged and in very precarious positions.” Even in perfect weather the list of the vessel and need for salvage crews to physically connect the crane to each container slows down the process. One expert close to the project predicts the crane can remove six containers a day from the vessel and possibly longer for the 816 containers located within the ship’s hull. At that rate it will take seven months to recover all the cargo.

To speed up the process the team has contracted a larger crane from Singapore and they expecte to arrive and begin work sometime next month.

Pictured: Rena's bow section fractured on October 18 after 13 days on the Astrolabe Reef. Photo: Maritime New Zeland

AUCKLAND—A stranded cargo vessel off the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island has spilled more oil into the ocean, as efforts to pump the remaining oil off the ship are hampered by bad weather, Maritime New Zealand said Tuesday.

“A small amount of oil was released from the bow of Rena this morning,” it said in a statement. “A light sheen of oil has been observed moving out to sea with the prevailing wind.”

Pictured: The extent of the oil sheen on October 18. Click for higher resolution Photo: Maritime New Zealand

The pumping of oil off the vessel was suspended late Monday evening due to poor weather and wouldn’t begin again until conditions improve, Maritime New Zealand said.

The MV Rena cargo vessel struck the Astrolabe Reef Oct. 5 on its way to Tauranga, and oil leaks were detected soon after. Salvagers moved in the following day and began pumping oil onto a bunker barge, the Awanuia, late on Sunday, but bad weather hampered the operation. A total of 90 tons of oil have so far been pumped off the vessel onto the Awanuia.

A stress fracture to the hull of the 21-year-old Rena, which triggered fears the boat may break in two, is making efforts to remove oil and more than 1,000 containers off the boat difficult.

“The ship remains in a similar condition to what it was [Monday]—with cracks down each side—but is still held together through its internal structure. However, we are continuing to keep a close eye on the situation,” Maritime New Zealand Salvage Unit Manager Andrew Berry said.

Volunteer beach clean-ups were canceled earlier on Tuesday due to the poor weather and the fact that the beaches were virtually clear of oil, but work continues to protect wildlife in the area, particularly the dotterel, an endangered New Zealand bird.

“We have now caught 46 dotterels but we’re hoping to capture 60 to ensure the sustainability of this population,” Wildlife Field Operations Coordinator Brent Stephenson said.

(c) 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

CLICK HERE M/V FOR RENA GROUNDING PHOTOS

Fly-over shots of stranded cargo vessel Rena grounded on the Astrolabe Reef. This photo was taken at 7.45am on October 5, hours after the vessel grounded.  Photo: Bay of Plenty Regional Council

Here’s a close up of the M/V Rena grounded on the Astrolabe Reef located off the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. This photo was also taken on October 5 with the extent of damage to the vessel and environment yet to be realized.  Photo: Bay of Plenty Regional Council

Another closeup from mid-afternoon October 5.  Notice the containers still stacked.  Photo: Bay of Plenty Regional Council

Here’s another fly-over shot taken mid-day 8 October.  This time you there is a noticeable oil sheen on the water. Photo: Dudley Clemens

The tanker Awanuia operating near the stricken cargo vessel on October 9.  Photo: Maritime New Zealand

Again, the tanker Awanuia can be seen operating near the stricken cargo vessel Rena on October 10.  This time, you can notice the weather starting to pick up. Photo: Maritime New Zealand

With heavy weather really moving in, Rena starts to list heavily, losing cargo tipping on Rena‘s.  This photo was taken from HMNZS Endeavour on October 12.  Photo: New Zealand Defence Force

In this photo, you can see Rena losing containers as heavy swells wash her deck on the starboard side taken on October 12.  You can really see the oil sheen in this photo. Photo: Blair Harkness

Here’s Rena from another angle as she loses containers into the heavy seas.  Photo: Blair Harkness

On October 12, a large crack appeared on the port side of the stricken vessel Rena. Photo: Maritime New Zealand

Here is a shot of fractured steel structures onboard Rena. Photo: Svitzer

A salvor is winched on to Rena on October 15.  Salvors are racing to get as much cargo and fuel oil off the vessel as possible.  Image credit: Svitzer

The tanker ship Awanuia receives and helps pump oil off the ship on October 17. The line of orange buoys supports the oil pipeline between the two vessels.  The vessel Awanuia has since ceased operations due to heavy weather. Image credit: Maritime New Zealand

Operations around Rena visible from a morning observation flight on November 15th. Image credit: Maritime New Zealand

Before and after comparison of Rena as of November 23. Almost all containers have been removed from the stern.  Two days later it was revealed that an additional 21 containers containing dangerous goods are on board. The shippers failed to report the containers on the ships manifest.  Image credit: Maritime New Zealand

An overflight on December 18.  Salvors have been successful in getting containers off the vessel but many still remain. Image credit: LOC

The Smit Borneo and the Sea Tow 60 side by side on December 22.  Further progress on container removal remains. Maritime New Zealand

Delaying the Inevitable: During the early morning hours of January 8th, the M/V Rena broke in half as heavy seas with swells up to 6m battered the vessel. With 830 containers still on the vessel it’s estimated that 200-300 were lost overboard when it broke in half. Image credit: Maritime New Zealand

Image courtesy Svitzer Salvage

WELLINGTON (Dow Jones)–Maritime New Zealand is focused Monday on removing oil from a cargo vessel grounded on a reef off the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island.

MNZ Salvage Unit Head Bruce Anderson said 21 tons of oil were pumped from the vessel overnight onto the Awanuia, after pumping operations got underway late Sunday and continued successfully throughout the night.

“Considering that the oil is the consistency of marmite and has to be pushed through 150 meters of hose, this represents an excellent effort,” Anderson said. A salvage team worked through the night to pump oil from the ship, and will continue to work through the day as long as conditions safely allow.

The MV Rena cargo vessel struck the Astrolabe Reef Oct. 5 on its way to Tauranga, and oil leaks were detected soon after. Up until recently bad weather had hampered attempts to remove the oil.

By late last week around 350 tons of oil had spilled into the sea and 88 containers had been lost overboard, causing the worst environmental marine disaster in New Zealand’s history, with around 60 kilometers of coastline affected. At least another 1,000 tons of oil were thought to still be on board the ship.

National On Scene Commander Nick Quinn said clean-up crews will continue to look for oil along the coastline Monday. Most beaches also remain closed in the area and all the local beaches have a swimming ban. As of late Sunday, 181 live birds were being treated at the Oiled Wildlife Recovery Centre. Three fur seals are also in care. About 1,250 dead birds have been recovered to date.

-By Rebecca Howard, Dow Jones Newswires