Tar-like ooze threat to beaches

Prepare for Mount beaches to be fouled with a tar like substance by Tuesday or Wednesday.

That's the word from a person within the salvage operation who says a storm due to hit the coast on Monday afternoon is intensifying and will most likely smash open the stricken Rena. Its heavy fuel oil may come ashore and blanket the coast.


Oil drawn from the sea about 1km from the grounded Rena.

Jim is involved in the salvage and is known to SunLive. He says too little is being done too late before rough seas break up the ship and further spill its 1700 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and other contaminants.

The gale force winds forecast from the northern quarters would drive the heavy oil slick ashore in the next few days.

Jim says those trying to extricate the fuel and salvage the vessel are preparing for up to four metre seas on Monday evening.

MetService is today predicting 30-40 knot northeast winds Monday afternoon, with the swell increasing from 1 metre on monday and 3m by Tuesday.

If the Rena's hull is wrenched open, massive quantities of heavy fuel oil will be spilled and, along with containers and debris, spread along the coast from Waihi Beach to Maketu.

With the forecast gale force winds from the northerly quarters, he believes the pristine beaches of Mount Maunganui and Papamoa are at serious risk.

Jim says this information is not being conveyed to the general public and he believes they need to know.

'The public need to prepare themselves for the worst and hope for best.”

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5 comments

And then what??

Posted on 09-10-2011 14:18 | By MikkiT

Wow, that sure is being told to expect the worst.


Disgusting

Posted on 09-10-2011 17:13 | By ShadE

With a country in the international spotligh ... how hick can you get?


Prepare to wait

Posted on 09-10-2011 19:18 | By poops

Ok so it seems that we are all prepared with the army and all for the devastation but not prepared to do anything until then. It is like the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff cenario. why are we waiting? At first we were told there would not be any oil. why are we waiting until it gets to the beach?


i thought they were removing the fuel?

Posted on 09-10-2011 19:58 | By wreck1080

Why not? There will be demands for heads to roll as to why they didn't empty the fuel last week.


Jim's response

Posted on 11-10-2011 13:57 | By The author of this comment has been removed.

To those who read and replied with thanks for telling it like it is I thank you. To the few inane cynical sarcastic commenter's I respond. Credentials. Don't have any! But been in the maritime industry all my life (more than 50 years) both inshore and offshore and I have gained a lot of experience and my eyes and ears still work albeit not as well as they use to. Fact, I have been out there since last Wednesday afternoon. Did one 48 hour hitch with no sleep and one sandwich. Fact ,Saw HFO (heavy fuel oil)spill out of the ship at 10 am Thursday morning which gave me a thumping headache and made me feel very ill, And I saw a shag land in the middle of a 15mm thick area the size of a rugby field and a penguin all covered in oil ,which upset me . Fact, MNZ is mostly staffed by Ex UK Immigrant maritime folks that have a real old boys' network going on, plus a Director from the CAA who only knows that the pointy bit of a ship is the front bit. Fact, MNZ said the oil wouldn't come ashore till Wednesday , try Monday lunchtime .Would have be last Wednesday if the wind had been onshore Fact , Port of Tauranga have an oil spill response team made up of some of the best most professional experienced people I've ever met. They have not been given permission to deploy by MNZ. Fact, I was prompted to do something , anything , out of sheer frustration , hence contacting The Sun . To the person who went on TV 1 and said he could get the ship off in his lunch hour . I reply 1 millionth of a second after the ship came to a halt on Wednesday morning it didn't have a bottom in it . So you're going to float 47,000 tons on what ? To getting the box's off , There are no Helicopters big enough in this country ,they have flown over a 214 from Oz that will lift 3 ton , 40 ft box's are suppose to weigh 40 ton but often weigh much more , Nothing of any size that would support a big enough crane can get alongside or it will join the ship on the reef !


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