Rena update #234 – Rough Seas Hit Wreck
Rena update #234 – Rough Seas Hit
Wreck
Salvage
(Resolve Marine)
• High wind and rough
seas early this week resulted in approximately 25m of the
fore section, weighing around 250 tonnes, being ripped free
from the aft portside and falling to the sea bed. This
section included the boat landing platform and access
ladder, with gas cutting equipment also going overboard.
(Before and after photographs below.)
• No
salvors were onboard at the time and the loss of equipment
has not delayed salvage efforts.
• Inspecting
the wreck when the weather cleared, Resolve’s Senior
Salvage Master, Francis Leckey said: “while on board, the
wreck was still rolling and pitching”. “From the visual
inspection there was a slight increase in the trim of
approximately 2-3 degree heel to starboard.”
•
Salvors continue to work onboard. In total this week,
Resolve Salvage & Fire have removed approximately 45-50
pieces of steel which weighed 100 tonnes. These pieces were
removed from the forecastle, aft portside and
transverses.
Braemar
Howells/Unimar Update
• Work is set to
continue today on debris recovery, using the newly arrived
Tasman Challenger, a 30m vessel fitted with a
crane.
• The Braemar Howells/Unimar team spent
time this week putting down moorings in readiness for
operations that will occur on the seabed around the
Rena.
• The vessel will be hooked onto
those moorings today, and baskets will be dropped down and
loaded with debris by divers.
• Braemer
Howell’s operations manager Mike Richards said while the
weekend’s weather forecast is unlikely to be favourable,
these at-sea operations are set to continue as soon as
conditions permit.
• Shoreline debris retrieval
has been under way this week at Matakana Island in the Bay
of Plenty and the Coromandel where plastic beads and small
amounts of flotsam, such as noodles and container foam have
been collected. The clean-ups have been focused on the
northern tip of Matakana and around the Tairua area in the
Coromandel.
Oil spill
response
• Bay of Plenty Regional
Council continues to oversee the Rena oil spill response.
While the Tier 2 response was today downgraded, the Regional
Council will continue to respond to reports of oil washing
up as part of its day to day business.
•
People are encouraged to report any sightings of oil to the
Bay of Plenty Regional Council Pollution Prevention Hotline
on 0800 884 883.
• The Regional Council also
continues to work with wreck removal and debris recovery
contractors to ensure the risk of further oil spills are
managed. Resolve Salvage & Fire has an oil spill contingency
plan in place and have response equipment and trained staff
at the wreck site. Braemar Howells has oil spill response
equipment on their vessel patrolling the 2 mile exclusion
zone.