Rena braced for third storm

Oil pumping operations aboard the container ship stranded on the Astrolabe Reef are suspended as the salvage team braces it for a storm.

The New Zealand MetService has issued a gale warning for the Bay of Plenty in marine areas with winds up to 35 knots predicted on Tuesday afternoon and evening.

Rena is being braced for a storm. Photo: Maritime New Zealand.

Associate Transport Minister Nathan Guy says these could push a 5m swell on Rena, stranded since October 5.

This is the third storm the ship has faced, with the first starting on October 10 causing 88 of its 1368 containers to fall overboard and for cracks to form vertically down its hull.

The second storm, which started on October 18, shifted Rena on the reef and extended the cracking, but no containers fell into the sea.

Rena is in a frail state, but is less of an oil pollution hazard heading into this storm as about 1070 tonnes of heavy fuel oil have been pumped from its fuel tanks.

The only heavy fuel oil remaining onboard is in one tank – 358 tonnes in starboard five tank.

Salvors are unable to complete works, including the construction of a coffer dam, to enable pumping from this submerged tank before the storm arrives.


A salvor being transported by helicopter. Arms are spread to avoid spinning around in the helicopter's rotor wash. Photo: Maritime New Zealand.

Svitzer salvage manager Captain Drew Shannon says works are underway to brace the ship for the storm prior to the evacuation of his team.

'We will be attempting to seal up the tanks we are working on.”

He says the works undertaken around starboard five have not increased the risk of oil leak from it.

'At the present moment there is no acute danger of further risk to this tank than previously.”

The salvage team is better prepared to handle containers falling into the sea this time with tracking transponders attached to some of them.

There are also three small tugs being mobilised to grab floating containers.

Nathan Guy says the storm is likely to cause some pollution.

'The Bay of Plenty should prepare for some oil to appear on the beaches in the days ahead and there could be some containers dropping overboard and land on the beaches.”

The Maritime New Zealand salvage team was unable to say at a press conference today if Rena would survive the storm, with its breaking in two still a possibility.

Captain Shannon says an anchor handling tug is being reinstalled at Rena's stern as the storm approaches.

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3 comments

yipee

Posted on 31-10-2011 17:12 | By jimmi

here we go again, and stupid me!!!! after over 3 weeks of IT being a major problem, its still one, and here was I thinking it must be cleaned up by now.


Three strikes

Posted on 31-10-2011 17:52 | By WORMTONGUE

Three strikes and you are out ... they chances have been and gone, although the efforts are admirable to date the end result is that the job is not finished and of course the 350+ tonnes still on board is submerged and the cracks in the hull are near to the reef where the hull is resting. As well the split hull is also close by that will break sooner or later and so expose the ship internals to the full impact of the sea.


I

Posted on 01-11-2011 00:52 | By Capt_Kaveman

cannot understand why any containers have not been lifted off yet as they gonna have to some how yeah 3wks and its still really gone nowhere


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