Photo: Bay of Plenty Regional Council
Update: An update Tuesday morning from the Bay of Plenty Regional Council said that oil has been spotted on Maungatapu, Tauranga covering about 300 meters of the beach following Monday’s bunker fuel spill.
A helicopter survey this morning has shown no more oil in the water. It has not yet been determined how much oil was spilled.
“It is important that people don’t try to clean up the oil themselves. This is heavy fuel oil, and is persistent in the environment. We will be cleaning up any oiled areas using the proper equipment, so please do not attempt to do this yourselves or touch the oil,” commented Regional On-Scene Commander Adrian Heays.
“Today we are gathering as much information as possible on where the oil has gone and ensuring we can clean up as much as possible. There are booms under the wharf to contain what is there,” he said.
Previous: Bad weather was hampering clean-up of a bunker fuel spill from a ship in New Zealand’s Tauranga Harbour.
The Bay of Plenty Regional Council reports that the heavy fuel oil spill occurred early Monday when a ship was bunkering at the Port of Tauranga. Severe weather, including rain and high winds, was hampering containment and cleanup efforts.
It appeared an oil line on a berthed ship had leaked and oil spilled near berths further along, the Council said. Once the spill was spotted bunkering was stopped, and responders were attempting to get under the wharf to fix the leak. High winds were making booms ineffective in containing the oil.
Because of the weather, authorities have been unable to exactly how much oil has been spilled.
“At this stage we don’t have any idea how much oil was lost. This means there could be oil coming ashore on beaches, and on boats,” said Regional Council On Scene Commander Adrian Heays.
Heays added that the spill occurred on an incoming tide and that the tide was now going out, which could mean the oil would be taken out to sea.
“We have staff working on it, and have notified Maritime New Zealand.”
The Bay of Plenty Regional Council did not identify the vessel involved.
Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.
Join the 109,835 members that receive our newsletter.
Have a news tip? Let us know.
A 37-year-old crew member was saved after spending three harrowing days adrift at sea following alleged abuse aboard a fishing vessel. Afif Efendy, a crew member of the fishing vessel...
British oil and gas major Shell on Tuesday settled a London lawsuit it brought against environmental group Greenpeace after activists boarded a Shell oil production vessel last year.
Satellite imagery show that Russian naval ships have left Moscow's base at Tartous on Syria's coast and some have dropped anchor offshore following the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by rebel forces.
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
Sign Up
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 109,835 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
