Sunshine in the Bay of Plenty is helping recovery teams in the Maketu and East Cape with their oil removal operations.

Maritime New Zealand National On Scene Commander Ian Niblock says the sun is warming the oil on the rocks, making it easier to remove.

'It is a very delicate process – the sun will make it easier.”

Rena listing at the Astrolabe Reef. Photo: Helipro.

More than 350 tonnes of oil has leaked from the stricken container ship Rena since it ran aground on Astrolabe Reef on Wednesday, October 5.

Oil and container debris is continuing to wash up in natural collection zones – where tidal and wind flows bring debris into the area – around the rocky areas of the Maketu Spit, Harrisons Cut and the East Cape.

Shoreline clean-up teams are working in Maketu and the East Cape today removing oil on rocks and around the collection zones.

Ian says there is potential for oil to travel further than East Cape.

Meanwhile calm weather and reduced swells have allowed nine salvage team members to re-board the Rena in preparation to resume pumping oil onto the barge vessel Awanuia.

Salvors are targeting the starboard number five tank, venting it and checking their pumping lines before reconnecting to the Awanuia.

MNZ salvage unit manager Bruce Anderson says salvors will start pumping as soon as possible, but venting the tanks is time consuming.

'The last thing we want to do is rush this process and have another oil leak.”

Oil on rocks is harder to clean than oil on the sand.

Hopes that divers would be able to access this starboard fuel tank have been put on hold.

'Divers are not able to access the tank at this time.”

Salvors will be looking for the best landing zones on the ship to allow more heavy equipment to be loaded on.

No new oil leaked from Rena overnight and Bruce says it is still in a 'relatively stable” condition with half a degree of rotation.

The exclusion zone around the Rena is being reviewed by the harbourmaster and Ian says there will be an update on this at 3.30pm.