Response and Cleanup at Mt Maunganui – Update

Mobil continues to assist the Bay of Plenty Regional Council (BOPRC) and the Port of Tauranga in responding to the leak of fuel oil to Tauranga Harbour last week.

Cleanup
Mobil personnel are assisting with the clean-up of remaining traces of fuel oil around the wharf where the leak occurred, with a team of people working over the weekend alongside Council personnel to remove remnants of oily debris and small pockets of fuel oil. Absorbent booms remain in place, however this area is now substantially cleaned up.

Mobil is working with the Marina and boat owners to provide help and advice as the cleaning of boats impacted by oil gets underway. We are also assisting where we can with the ongoing cleanup of the marina area, where a sheen is still visible in the water in some areas.

Claims
Claims relating to loss suffered as a direct result of the incident can be directed to the Mobil Claims line on 0800 692 524. Procedures have been established to process claims as efficiently as possible and facilitate timely payments. To date 43 calls have been received, the majority related to impacted boats.

Investigation
Mobil has requested support from its global organisation, and two pipeline experts are scheduled to arrivetomorrow from the United States, to assist with the investigation into the incident.

They will work with Mobil Oil New Zealand technical experts on site, and will fully cooperate with BOPRC as they undertake their investigation consistent with their role under the Resource Management Act. The priority is to understand how the failure occurred. Further metallurgical testing of the pipe will be required to understand the specific cause, and is expected to take some weeks.

Ship Refuelling Operations
The pipeline system to the wharf remains shut down, while inspections and testing are carried out on all sections of the pipeline branches along the wharf to ensure their ongoing integrity.

Ship refuelling is continuing on a reduced basis from the general tanker berth at the Terminal.

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