Oil pumping hindered by gases

Salvors on board the stricken container ship Rena are preparing to pump the remaining 358 tonnes of fuel oil off the ship today.

Preparations to pump the heavy fuel oil from the submerged starboard 5 wing tank using the ‘hot tapping' technique got underway last night but were halted this morning as fumes were vented from the tank.


Salvors aboard Rena work to attach oil pumping hoses on deck. Photo: LOC

Salvors working to raise the level of oil in the starboard tank by pumping 750 tonnes of seawater into the tank stopped operations for five hours while fumes were vented. Pumping of seawater has now resumed.

Salvors continue to pump the 22 tonnes of lubricating oil from Rena's engine room.

Maritime New Zealand Salvage Unit manager Kenny Crawford says more than 20 salvors worked on Rena on Sunday, manhandling three tonnes of hoses, ladders and two large pumps in preparation for pumping. One of the pumps is now in position and the other is still to be placed.

Monitoring of the vessel's hull has continues, with no further significant buckling found today.
Underwater transponders have been fixed to four containers known to contain hazardous goods, so they can be easily located should they be lost overboard.

Assistant MNZ National On Scene Commander Andrew Berry says sonar scans of the seabed are continuing, to try and locate more of the containers which fell off the Rena in a storm three weeks ago.

Several containers have been located on the seabed within one kilometre of the vessel. The container barge ST60 will begin sea trials in the Bay of Plenty this week but efforts to lift containers off the Rena will not begin until after the last of the oil has been removed.

Volunteer clean-up operations are underway in Maketu and Papamoa today.

Shoreline assessment teams are also working at Mount Maunganui to decide the best methods to clean up more oil which has been reported there at the weekend.

Two lightly oiled little blue penguins from Motiti Island were brought to the Oiled Wildlife Treatment facility at Te Maunga on Sunday, bringing the total number of birds in care to 403.

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2 comments

Our Humble Thanks

Posted on 07-11-2011 16:14 | By carpedeum

As a local resident I extend very humble thanks to those salvors who are our there trying to do their best to save our local beaches,wildlife and environment under most difficult circumsatnces THANK YOU GUYS


Contents of

Posted on 07-11-2011 16:25 | By ronillian

I understand that a clear unambiguous -NO- has still not been given by government or Maritime NZ as to whether there was any uranium oxide (aka yellowcake) on board the Rena at the time of its grounding. Again, poor communications from those in authority. Call me an armchair critic but this is just one of the many questions that this govt needs to answer clearly and unequivocally to set the public's mind at rest. The absence of clear explanations and answers gives the impression that there is something to hide. The public deserves clear answers at a time when it is understandably feeling anxious and seeking answers, information and reassurance. I for one am not happy to simply trust the authorities to protect public interest.


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