The captain of a Tauranga bound fuel tanker is to receive a $200 slap on the wrist for breaching the exclusion zone around the sunken Rena.

The 30,000 tonne Panama registered STX Ace 11 passed 0.7 nautical miles of Astrolabe Reef, which is surrounded by a two nautical mile exclusion zone.

The STX Ace 11 in port.

While the wreck of the former containership Rena is no longer visible above the waterline, the exclusion zone is still in place to protect divers and boats working in the area.

The distance - 0.7nm - is about 1.2km from the reef that is off limits to marine traffic as it is the centre of an intense salvage effort with tugs, barges and divers down below.

The maximum fine levied by the administering authority, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, is $200.

The $200 may just be added to the STX Ace 11's port's bill of about $34,360.

The tanker is charged about $32,450 in Port of Tauranga marine charges including one tug, plus about $1500 in daily service charges and $412 for a security guard on tanker watch for the first 12 hours.

There have been 85 breaches of the exclusion zone so far this year and a total of 11 infringement notices served to pay a fine.

The reasons for not serving an infringement notice range from not being able to collect enough information to very minor breaches and cooperation from the boat's skipper, says the council.