New charges are laid against the captain and second officer of the Rena following the ship's grounding on Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga on October 5.
Both men now each face one charge under section 338 (1B) and (15B) of the Resource Management Act 1991 relating to the ‘discharge of harmful substances from ships or offshore installations'.
The captain and the second officer in court today. Their interim name suppression is continuing.
The RMA charge carries a maximum penalty of a fine of $300,000, or two years' imprisonment, and $10,000 for every day the offending continues.
The two officers had earlier been charged by Maritime New Zealand under section 65 of the Maritime Transport Act 1994 ‘for operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk'.
They have been remanded on bail without plea to reappear in the Tauranga District Court today on that charge and will face the RMA charge at the same appearance.
Their names and identities are suppressed.
The MTA charge carries a maximum penalty of $10,000 or a maximum term of imprisonment of 12 months.
3 comments
SO WHAT
Posted on 02-11-2011 11:47 | By STRAITAS
Are they gonna fine them They won't pay it. SO we put them in prison and WE end up paying for them WE LOSE!!!!!!
Fast Tracked Laws
Posted on 02-11-2011 14:42 | By bobsm8
Word around town is the Rena has broken up .. Johnny Key is here?? why?? .. I've threaded all along with my conspiracal thoughts. One reader called it Paranoid~ Americanism styled reaction. I would call it more factual local information combined with common sense.. Hey heres a thought couldn't we fast track a law through in 24hours to do with this situation and after waiting 32 years for this to happen why cant we really nail the captain~employer for all the wildlife he/they have killed and are killing... 1000's!!! .. the highly toxic contaminated cargo they have on board is still yet to come.. how long will it take too get back to normal?? .. add that up say roughly a 1.2-1.5 million per day over say, 7 years roughly $30660000000ish .. GRRRRRrrrrr what is going on NZ why do we sweep these things under the mat all the time..
Fast Track nutter
Posted on 02-11-2011 17:20 | By Kin
Bobsm8 - you are mental. Firstly, you haven't given me any facts in your rant. They are merely your assumptions. Likely to be incorrect. Secondly, "fast tracking" a law so you can "nail" somebody after the fact is never going to happen and rightly so. You are either suffering from a mental illness or just plain stupid.
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