Equipment is arriving on Tauranga's coastline ready to undertake the next phase of the Rena salvage operation – removing the four storey accommodation block from the sunken stern.

An RMG 500 crane and barge arrived from Indonesia on Monday and is expected to be towed to Astrolabe Reef by tomorrow – the eve of the two year anniversary of the container ship's grounding.

The RMG 500 crane barge being towed to Astrolabe Reef by tomorrow.

The barge will be lifting cut sections of the accommodation block out of the water and laying them on the next item to arrive – a RMG 1000 barge, which is expected to arrive in the Bay of Plenty in the next couple of weeks. It will be a holding and transport barge.

The four storey block formerly contained crew quarters, galley, administration offices and living areas, as well as the bridge and navigational equipment.

Constructed of lighter gauge steel than the hull, it is expected to eventually break down and become a safety and environmental hazard.

Salvors Resolve Salvage & Fire will cut the accommodation block off in two slices by chain cutting. A chain will be looped round the accommodation and pulled back and forth by winches. The operation is likely to take up to 80 days, with half the time allowed for poor weather and sea conditions.

Once each section is cut away, it will be lifted onto a third barge for transport to Port of Tauranga, where the sections will be dismantled for scrap and, where possible, recycling.

A team of smaller craft will be stationed at the reef during the operation to collect any debris released during the removal operation, preventing material reaching the shore.

During the dismantling phase, steps will be in place to prevent any discharges into the environment.