Oil washes up on Mount Main Beach

Oil from the leaking shipwreck Rena is washing ashore at Mount Maunganui Main Beach.

Rena began leaking oil last Wednesday after it ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef, about 7km north of Motiti Island.


Oil from the Rena slick.

The oil has remained mostly in a 5km slick since then, but today's arrival of stormy weather has brought some oil to shore.

Maritime New Zealand's assessment on Sunday was that oil could be expected on the beaches on Wednesday.

They were not anticipating it would arrive today.

A caller to 0800 SUNLIVE described the oil as gluggy and 'it almost looks like jellyfish”.

SunLive reporter Phillipa Yalden speaks from the beach about the first lumps of oil to come ashore.

MNZ's national on scene commander Rob Service says the beach clean-up is a job to be done by trained people and the general public should not touch the oil.

'It has to be organised and undertaken by people with skills and knowledge,” says Rob.

Not responding with the necessary care could result in making the pollution worse.

'It's not just as simple as scooping it up.”

Maritime New Zealand is seeking volunteers to be trained to correctly clean-up the beaches, to work in conjunction with 250 trained staff who are on standby.

'If people want to volunteer and particularly organisations of fit and able bodied people want to, call us.”

The number to call to offer voluntary help, or for oil pollution sightings is: 0800 OIL SPILL or 0800 645 774.

Maritime NZ has confirmed eight containers on board Rena contain toxic substances, with four containers holding ferrosilicon, a hazardous substance that is flammable when combined with water.

Rob says these containers are designed for sea voyages and remain in tact.

Two other containers hold hydroperoxide, and a further two contain unnamed chemicals, both are classified as low toxicity.

There is about 1700 tonnes of oil in Rena's fuel tanks, with the emergency responders' primary goal of pumping it off the ship stalled by today's bad weather.

Overnight about 10 tonnes was pumped off.

There is about 100 tonnes of heavy fuel oil leaked into Rena's duct keel and this poses an environmental threat as it cannot be pumped off the ship at this time.

Keep checking SunLive for more information about oil on the beaches.

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18 comments

Oil

Posted on 10-10-2011 11:56 | By Papchick

Where is Shark Alley?


Posted on 10-10-2011 12:51 | By Salty SeaDog

For five days we said bring in the endeavour and store the scooping material from it yet maritime nz just sat there saying listen to the experts. I hope you officials who dillydallyed and the salvagers get fired and exciled to live the rest of your life in the hull of an oil tanker


Feeling helpless!

Posted on 10-10-2011 13:29 | By Beachcomber

Brings tears to the eyes to see this tragedy!


and so it begins

Posted on 10-10-2011 13:56 | By jimmi

un believeable, that people in authority, and highly paid positions, with all sorts of degrees, have no clue at all, this debacle demanded action 5 days ago, and yet all we did was go around in circles, what has happened to "kiwi inginuity"? I guess it has all been lost in P.C rubbish, and academic spin. It is just gut wrenching seeing the inactivity, and watching our pristine beaches get closer to an ecological disaster.


diva1962

Posted on 10-10-2011 13:56 | By diva1962

Its not just the main beach....its all the way along Oceanbeach Road....devastating


gotta love it...

Posted on 10-10-2011 13:56 | By porky

Gotta love it when everyone all of sudden becomes an expert on things like this. I have total faith in the local council and the government and all else involved that they are doing everything they can in right time. what makes you an expert salty seadog? its not like the they are all sitting there thinking "we'll just wait and see shall we?"


Shark Alley

Posted on 10-10-2011 14:01 | By festino lente

A stones throw from NZ's Iconic Mount Main Beach. The once summer hotspot, that was until someone sat around and let oil arrive on it. OH MY GOODNESS


@Porky

Posted on 10-10-2011 15:08 | By SpeakUp

FYI: There are THREE oil recovery vessels specifically built for emergencies in NZ. The Tukuperu, the Taranui and the Kuaka. Also a whole arsenal of various booms, barges and skimmers are pictured on >>> http://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/Environmental/Responding-to-spills-and-pollution/Past-spill-responses/Image-gallery.asp <<< Where is all this equipment? Where were the specialists? What are we paying for? What is going on???


Black Gold NOT

Posted on 10-10-2011 15:10 | By STRAITAS

Well as predicted by all "us" experts now it's here No use moaning now We got to stick(excuse the pun)together listen to the People that Know, How, What, Where, When then ask WHY later. It's here so get over it and lets listen and we can get this S--- sorted out and off or beaches


Slick talking

Posted on 10-10-2011 15:24 | By caveman

The first cacualty of most disasters is the truth!! How can it be that a product that produces such a hidious amount of wealth for greedy corprate busnesses world wide can suddenly become an under resoursed tragedy. John Keys is trying to tell us its a unique situation. Hey Johnny... Google Ship wrecks!!


SO SAD

Posted on 10-10-2011 15:28 | By bobmo

It is just SO sad to see oil on our lovely beaches. Reminds me of the way the beaches in the UK were left after WW2. Terrible stuff to get off the poor wildlife, yourself or your clothes. What about our numerous estuary areas, teaming with wildlife now? The recovery, it's going to take years.


porky

Posted on 10-10-2011 15:45 | By jimmi

a "crisis" demands action, not inactivity, and for to many days we saw the later, you tell everyone that dont worry the oil on our beaches, dead birds, and our seabed, will be cleaned up soon. Sorry porky I do not have your faith, as I have seen to much ineptitude lately, by our Counciul especially with the R.W.C debacle, so you go for it!!!!!


oil from rena

Posted on 10-10-2011 15:46 | By Jeanie

I agree that it is questionable as to why something wasn't done immediately as money may be more of a concern than our clean green waters. Maritime waters have let us down in this matter and i am glsd that something is now being done. Hopefully the weather lets up so more cna be done now that the ball's rolling


An Accident WaitingTo Happen

Posted on 10-10-2011 15:52 | By straw

There is reason to be afraid that this will not be the only oil spill we will see. The ships now comming into the harbor have been getting larger, and still we don't have any of the required tools to handled it. We have seen where time has been essential, but instead wasted valuable days waiting for everyone to get the personel and equipment here from offshore. Now it is probably going to take years to get our beaches back to normal.


An Accident WaitingTo Happen

Posted on 10-10-2011 15:52 | By straw

There is reason to be afraid that this will not be the only oil spill we will see. The ships now comming into the harbor have been getting larger, and still we don't have any of the required tools to handled it. We have seen where time has been essential, but instead wasted valuable days waiting for everyone to get the personel and equipment here from offshore. Now it is probably going to take years to get our beaches back to normal.


Not that bad is it?

Posted on 10-10-2011 16:55 | By pomfart

It looks really easy to clean up to me. How hard can it be to be trained to use a shovel? It's surprising that people get so carried away about a bit of oil on the sand when you're happy enough to have cow effluent, dead cows, turds, poisons and all manner of rubbish floating about in it. Not to mention children weeing in it. I don't go near the sea for all these reasons but I am sorry it will spoil some peoples sense of righteousness.


Rob

Posted on 10-10-2011 18:28 | By The author of this comment has been removed.

Has anyone noticed the parallel between the inaction that occurred with the Pike river disaster - followed by the almost arrogant response from the 'so called' experts - those who made it patently clear 'who was in charge' - I think we are seeing this all over again - it is so frustrating that these pointy heads did not have equipment for pumping off the oil and lifting off the containers on their way at first light on Wednesday morning - but then what would I, and a good group of friends know - we are not experts, just ordinary people with a little bit of common sense - may I remind these pointy heads of a very old fashioned saying - A stitch in time saves........ But their representative will be back on the news at 6pm tomorrow and the next day and the...... waffling away with another barrel load of excuses.


@ pomfart

Posted on 10-10-2011 18:51 | By SpeakUp

With comments like these I can't help but marvel at how low human intelligence can stoop. Lucky he can count himself that blissful ignorance paired with superciliousness mitigates his otherwise embarrassing condition.


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