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SILVERWOODSTUDIO
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10/10/2011 4:31:02 PM
Ship wreck off NZ coast--environmental disaster pending!!!!
The grounded ship Rena was evacuated on Tuesday morning simply as a precaution against rough weather, Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) says.
The vessel's crew made a mayday call earlier in the morning as a precaution to "expedite" their evacuation, according to MNZ.
They were taken to nearby Motiti Island by boat and will return to the ship when conditions improved.
The 236-metre Liberian-flagged container ship ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef, 12 nautical miles off Tauranga, last Wednesday and heavy oil from the ship began washing ashore on Monday morning.
MNZ says the Rena has sustained more damage from its ocean movements, and on Tuesday morning its list improved from 11 degrees to about 6 degrees.
It's believed the rock pinnacle the ship was resting on has been crushed, and although the ship remains intact, it is moving around in the rough weather, with swells up to four metres and winds reaching 46km/h.
Oil is continuing to pour south from the vessel, with an estimated 130 to 350 tonnes having spilled into Bay of Plenty waters.
It's believed to be coming from the duct keel on the damaged bottom of the ship.
There is also damage to the front part of the ship and flooding in its front holds, but MNZ expects that will help settle the Rena.
MNZ says it is "inevitable" oil will reach beaches from Mount Maunganui down to Maketu, and enter Tauranga Port.
It is also possible oil will reach the Maketu and Matakana estuaries, but MNZ says it's ready to respond.
It's monitoring the 11 dangerous goods containers on board the ship, which remained intact and lashed down.
Dispersants were again being tested on the oil leaking from the ship but the sea swells could make it difficult for those to work.
Around 100 beach clean-up personnel were at Mount Maunganui removing oil from the beach and two on-water recovery vessels are ready to pick up oil entering the harbour.
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Shoe City Sound
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10/11/2011 10:12:33 AM
All the oil spills just make my heart sick. Why are we still focusing down into the ground - mining and drilling and raping our earth to get at finite sources of energy when limitless energy is available and pain free if we just look in the direction of the sky instead.
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SILVERWOODSTUDIO
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10/11/2011 3:36:23 PM
I totally agree---the pillaging of the worlds resources by multi-national corporations is the elephant in the room at this moment. This old ship is registered in Liberia and has had 3 recent incidents b4 this one!
I know most folks are here on IAC cos they wanna be famous, (hahah) but music also has a place in politics in my humble opinion--(and always has)
Update---350 tons of oil is now heading for the pristine coastline---plus 70 containers have fallen off the ship into the water, dead birds litter the shore.
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Shoe City Sound
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10/11/2011 10:12:57 PM
That update is so awful ....
I completely agree with your humble opinion. I think music has a place everywhere, politics included. Seems like music is one of the inspirations that helps people to change,politically or otherwise.
So to quote myself (what the hell haha - the only sort of political song I ever wrote) on the subject of Greed corporate and in general (as heard on the great Warriors for Change station)
The truth lies sleeping past the decades
Like a coiled up serpent not threatened by you
your stinging lies will soon wake it up
And the truth will devour you
We're all waiting, we know it's true and you know it too
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Stoneman
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10/12/2011 9:28:43 AM
Such a sad thing to see innocent animals killed because of mans greed and obsession with oil. Science has afforded many alternatives but they are constantly being defeated by oil lobbyists who support the "get richer" ideas of the worlds oil industries. In the face of collapsing world economies, oil companies continue to rake in record profits. Music can be a catalyst for change. But a ground swell movement of people power all over the world is the only true answer. I am willing to do my part as I have written songs about the worlds ecology. Alas, they don't seem to make much impact but I keep trying.
My prayers are with you all for a speedy clean-up and lower than expected impact on the local ecology.
Respect,
Stoneman
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SILVERWOODSTUDIO
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10/12/2011 3:23:02 PM
Kia Ora Stoneman!!
You and Shoe city (Dolores) also Rich Russom and Richard Scotti are artists with a vision who attack the status quo (not the band lol) in your art ---
This is why you will ALWAYS get our support, and we are always looking for other artists who cross the line to tell it like it is!!
latest news!
The stricken vessel Rena is on the verge of breaking in half, eight days after grounding on the Astrolabe Reef in the Bay of Plenty.
Salvage experts have three tugs mobilised either to hold the stern on the reef while further effort is made to remove the oil, or to tow the stern to shallow water where they will remove the oil.
Naval architects are working on possible scenarios.
Captain John Walker of the salvage crew said the crack in the hull on the starboard was opening and shutting.
"That means the aft part of the vessel is detaching from the fore part of the vessel."
Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) National on Scene Commander Nick Quinn says he is confident that he has the people, equipment and plans to cope with the increasing scale of the Rena response.
Transport Minister Steven Joyce told Fairfax Media the worst case scenario was that the ship would sink on the reef.
"That water is quite deep and it will get quite a lot harder to get access to the oil and salvage it."
The second officer of the stricken cargo ship, who was in charge of navigational watch, will appear in court on Thursday morning charged with operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk.
The captain of the ship appeared in court on Wednesday facing the same charge.
NIWA's warning if the ship doesn't break up, the best chance to refloat it off the reef won't be until the end of the month.
NIWA's predictions of tides at the reef for the year show that October 29-30 will bring the highest high tides, known as "king tides" (2.2 metres above local lowest tide).
"Unfortunately, the Rena struck the reef soon after high tide around 1.8 metres above the local lowest tide," NIWA says.
"This means that there are more limited opportunities for re-floating the vessel than if the grounding happened at low tide."
MNZ fast facts:
There will be substantial oil on the beaches, in the water and on the foreshore. This is expected to result in around 10,000 tonnes of sandy waste.
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