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The 236m long cargo ship caught on the Astrolabe Reef near Motiti Island is expected to be stuck there for days if not weeks.
Speaking from the Waterline Magazine boat alongside the ship, Rena, SunLive editor Brian Rogers says it is stuck fast, about 50m away from the highest point of the reef.
The ship is on a 10 degree list. See video footage, shot from the air, of its position on the reef.
High tide is scheduled for about 1.30pm.
“It’s close to high tide now and it does not look like floating off,” says Brian.
Its catch on the reef appears to be firm as it is not moving at all in the water.
“This ship doesn’t seem to be lifting in the swells.”
It is also a heavy ship, carrying a full load of containers; stacked seven high at the stern and 4-5 high mid-ship. It also has two holds flooded.
The weight and complexity of the lodging of the ship on the reef is confirmed by Maritime New Zealand, whose spokesperson, Ross Henderson, says the ship is not going to come free easily.
“It is not going to be resolved quickly, it is going to be something maritime officials will be looking at in the coming days or weeks,” says Ross.
“It will take some time.
“At the moment the priority is to ensure the ship is secure and stable and is not at risk of leaking.”
The ship is stuck fast.
Maritime New Zealand says there is an oil sheen on the water there and they have assessed it to be hydraulic oil from the vessel’s engine.
Maritime New Zealand’s Marine Pollution Response Service is mobilising its team of trained spill responders as well as specialist equipment to the site.
The team is monitoring the situation closely from Wellington and has a Maritime Safety Inspector on board the vessel assessing the damage.
As a precautionary measure, fuel in tanks on the port side is being transferred to the starboard side – away from the rocks.
There are about 25 people onboard and there are no reported injuries.
Image: Land Information NZ.
Keep checking SunLive for more information on this incident.
Posted on 07-10-2011 02:30 | By bengundry
sad to say but i think this is going to be massive.even by international standards, this is a big ship, in very very deep shit.laden close to her lines,at high tide and by the looks of it must have been steaming close to 10 knots(does anyone in the biz have an accurate idea of how fast a ship of this size,in this stage of her journey would/should be moving?) if the weather holds out for a few months they maybe able to pump the fuel to bunker barges and unload the containers 1 by 1 onto barges(by helicopter?)then cut the back half off and tow undamaged half for breaking.if weather doesn’t hold the immense extra loads imposed by the stern half that is basically cantilevered out over deep water will likely cause the stern to snap off and sink quickly.if the front half doesn’t stay firm it might roll off the rock and also sink in deep water(anyone got any detailed diagrams? of the reef).it could then be cut up and removed or just left as artificial reef. 50% of the containers may float. at least thats my armchair expert opinion after many years or reading every wreck feature on cargolaw.com are there any other forums about this accident around the web? i couldnt find any. think this place will end up chat central,a dedicated forum for discussion and for people to post info they may have would be great!.theres going to be alot to talk about, for a long time.