[Faline]

These worrying images of globules of thick, black oil show that it's now a race against time in order to save New Zealand's stunning coastline after a leak from a stricken ship has begun to wash ashore.
Spots of the slick now punctuate the stunning beaches after the Liberian ship MV Rena struck the Astrolabe Reef about 14 miles from Tauranga Harbour in the Bay of Plenty region on the North Island.
The 775-foot (236-metre) ship, which ran aground on Wednesday, has created a three-mile leak, leading to fears it could cause an environmental disaster if it breaks apart.





Today work to extract oil from the vessel was called off because of concerns about severe weather conditions.
After beginning an operation yesterday to extract up to 1,700 metric tons of oil from the stricken ship - the equivalent of about 10,700 barrels - marine crews halted pumping after managing to remove just 10 metric tons.

Fist-sized clumps of oil were found at Mount Maunganui beach, a favourite spot for surfers, according to Maritime New Zealand, the agency responsible for shipping in the region.
The beach is about 100 miles (160 kilometres) south-east of Auckland.





The agency believes the ship has another 200 tons of diesel on board - so far, an estimated 30 tons of oil or fuel have leaked into the Bay of Plenty.
Because it's a cargo ship rather than an oil tanker, any spill would be small in comparison to disasters like the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster, which dumped an estimated 262,000 barrels of oil in Alaska's Prince William Sound.
But because the Rena is close to shore, the oil could still foul delicate estuaries in an area known for its pristine environment.

Maritime New Zealand said that a barge had begun pumping fuel from the stricken ship, but that work was called off in order to keep crews safe from heavy swells and gale-force winds forecast to hit the area.
The operation is expected to last at least two more days once it resumes.
Salvage experts and naval architects are on board to monitor the ship, and sensors should indicate if the ship is in danger of breaking apart, the agency said.
'The top priority is to first remove the oil, then lighten the vessel by removing the containers, and finally, move the ship off the reef,' it said.
About 200 people are working on the operation, and New Zealand's defence force has about 300 people standing by in case major beach clean-ups are needed.
So far, at least eight sea birds have been rescued from an oil slick that extends about three miles from the boat.
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key yesterday visited the area and demanded answers.
'This is a ship that's ploughed into a well documented reef in calm waters in the middle of the night at 17 knots, so somebody needs to tell us why that's happened,' he said.
In a statement, the owners of the ship, Greece-based Costamare Incorporated, said they were 'cooperating fully with local authorities' and were making every effort to 'control and minimise the environmental consequences of this incident'.
The company did not offer any explanation for the grounding.
The Rena was built in 1990 and was carrying 1,351 containers of goods when it ran aground, according to the owners.
In addition to the oil, authorities are also concerned about some potentially dangerous goods aboard, including four containers of ferro-silicon.
Authorities said they would make it a priority to remove those goods as part of their operation.

[kellyhound]

not looking good at all.

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[thissiteisfuckedup]

Who cares , its only new zealand.

[Hoppynz]

nice one...

[downunder]

Originally Posted by thissiteisfuckedup ↗

Who cares , its only new zealand.

How Australian of you.

[thissiteisfuckedup]

Originally Posted by downunder ↗

How Australian of you.

Thanks.

[Faline]

This penguin is lucky enough to be able to see his white feathers again after being caught in the slick of New Zealand's worst-ever environmental disaster but many more will not be so fortunate as the crisis deepens.
This bird was cleaned up at the wildlife centre in Tauranga where up to 350 more tonnes of oil has been spilled from the 'Rena' tanker, which lies stricken off the coast.
But clumps of heavy oil from the Liberia-flagged Rena have washed up on pristine beaches near Tauranga in the North Island, and environmental officials said 53 birds were found dead and 17 were getting emergency treatment to remove oil from their feathers.



'This event has come to a scale where it is New Zealand's most significant environmental maritime disaster,' Environment Minister Nick Smith told reporters in Tauranga, adding that the clean-up would take weeks.
However, the situation is worsening. Rough weather battered the cargo ship throughout Tuesday before about 70 containers fell overboard, forcing the ship onto a steeper lean.
And in another development, the captain of the ship Rena was arrested and will appear in court Wednesday morning, facing charges under New Zealand's Maritime Act.





The ship has been sinking since it ran aground last Wednesday on the Astrolabe Reef, about 14 miles from Tauranga Harbour, and the New Zealand government has demanded to know why the ship crashed into the well-charted reef in calm weather.
The ship owner has given no reason for the grounding, but says it is cooperating with authorities.
Rough weather in recent days has kept salvage crews away.
On Monday night, the 775ft (236metre) ship shifted significantly, spilling hundreds of tons of oil from an unidentified rupture in the hull, said Nick Bohm, a spokesman for Maritime New Zealand which is managing the emergency response.



Up to 390tons (350 metric tons) of heavy fuel oil spilled from the hull on Tuesday, a rate about five times worse than during the initial days of the spill, Smith said.
Bohm said a salvage crew had to be removed from the ship late on Tuesday morning because ocean swells of 7-to-10ft (2-to-3metres) made conditions too dangerous.
The swells were expected to increase as high as 16ft (5metres), he said.
Without the salvage crew aboard, oil cannot be pumped out of the ship.
'We're on standby at the moment and we'll see what's happening with the ship and they'll be redeployed as quickly as possible,' Bohm said of the salvage crew.



Conservation officials remove dead seabirds coated in thick oil:




'We're not saying it's going to break up yet; we're not convinced,' he added, referring to the ship.
Divers are scheduled to inspect damage to the hull on Wednesday, Bohm said.
Maritime New Zealand said in a statement that a beach clean-up began early Tuesday and that more teams would be deployed on Wednesday when oil is expected to reach the shore in greater quantities.

[souris]

[Nite]

Originally Posted by thissiteisfuckedup ↗

Who cares , its only new zealand.

more people will care about what happens to us than what happens to you