Rena Shipping Disaster

Banning the toxic oil dispersant chemical Corexit, that was used initially following the Rena grounding, would be very positive. However, it is even more important to learn from Rena and put in place strategies to avoid future ship founderings that cause oil spills. What is needed are "Dedicated Shipping Lanes".

The jurisdiction of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council extends 40- 50km offshore, and pressure needs to be applied to protect our coastal waters from future shipping disasters. "Dedicated Shipping Lanes" would effectively create Sea Traffic Control, whereby a prescribed seaway on the shipping charts is mapped for shipping that the ship masters must follow. Dedicated Shipping Lanes would mean that careless captains could no longer chart their own course along the beautiful Bay of Plenty coastline taking short cuts, as happened with the Rena, and also with Costa Concordia (Mediterranean) and Mikhail Lermontov (Marlborough Sounds). Dedicated Shipping Lanes also have the bonus of slowing the ships down as they traverse the prescribed shipping seaway.

Our Bay of Plenty Coastline is too precious and of rich diodiversity to put at risk for the future. The ship visit numbers, to the highly successful Port of Tauranga - New Zealands busiest port, are going to continue to increase. To not learn from Rena and put in place strategies to insulate business and the environment from future shipping disasters, would be foolish.

As a candidate for the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, I am calling for the immediate removal of Corexit from the Councils' storage facility, and immediate negotiations with Government for the creation of "Dedicated Shipping Lanes" along the Bay of Plenty Coastline.

Tim Short
Candidate Bay of Plenty Regional Council - Western Bay Constituency
www.mount-tutu.co.nz

Tim Short was at the "Line in the Sand" protest to ban Corexit at Mount Maunganui Beach, 28th September 2013.

Tim Short has provided over 500 hours following Rena, at the Incident Command Centre organising Wildlife Teams, and in the field from the Coromandel to Cape Runaway, recovering oiled wildlife. Tim was involved in the rehabilitated Little Blue Penguin releases and one of only ten Bay of Plenty folk invited to contribute at the official Rena Debrief at Massey University May 2012. Tim continues to be involved with the nocturnal Post Rena Little Blue Penguin monitoring around Tauranga.

ENDS

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