The Waikato Times of New Zealand reports that the 236-meter Liberian flagged container ship, M/V Rena aground on Astrolabe Reef yesterday about 6 nautical miles from the nearest harbour. The vessel is currently leaking oil, taking on water and contains hazardous and explosive cargo. Rumors of alcohol being involved in the collision have alarmed local reporters, and local authorities have not been able to board the vessel to administer alcohol and drug tests to the crew.
Local fishermen remarked that the reef was “well marked on charts and the first or chief officer would have had to have created a track around the reef and had it confirmed before setting off”.
AIS data confirms that Rena was doing a steady 17 knots (31 kmh) when it ran aground at around 2.30am yesterday.
The local Coast Guard authority, Maritime New Zealand (MZN), believes the vessel is carrying 2017 containers and some have been identified as carrying dangerous goods. The agency continues to monitor the stability of the vessel via overflights of the scene and reports that the bow is damaged and taking on water but the vessel’s pumps appear to be keeping up with the inflow of seawater. MZN also reports that a “light sheen” of oil was observed surrounding the vessel.
Maritime Executive reports that a controller for the incident, Renny van der Velde, said that although it does not pose an imminent threat, oil spill response teams are on standby just in case something is to go wrong during the salvage efforts.
Two cargo holds on the Rena have been flooded, and currently pumps are being used to eradicate the water aboard, as well as fuel on port side being transferred to starboard.
25 crew members, reported to be Filipinos, sustained no injuries but have yet to be evacuated.
An oil spill from the MSC Apollo containership in Algoa Bay, South Africa, is currently under investigation by authorities as its impact on local wildlife becomes apparent. The South African...
TELDE, Sept 5 (Reuters) – An oil spill off the Spanish island of Gran Canaria forced local authorities to close several beaches in the popular holiday destination on Thursday and declare an...
By Alex Longley (Bloomberg) A ship carrying crude oil that caught fire after being attacked in the Red Sea could lead to a severe ecological disaster, the European Union’s naval force...
August 25, 2024
Total Views: 2382
Why Join the gCaptain Club?
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.