Grote natuurramp dreigt in Nieuw-Zeeland

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Maritime New Zealand says heavy fuel oil is continuing to be removed from the submerged tank on the grounded container ship Rena.

Salvage unit manager Arthur Jobard said salvors have kept up continuous pumping of the oil from the Rena to the tanker Awanuia today.

The vessel ran aground on the Astrolobe reef off the Bay of Plenty coast on October 5, setting off a gruelling operation.

By 6am today, around 116 tonnes of oil had been removed from the 358 tonnes in the starboard tank and MNZ says the flow rate has held steady all day at about four tonnes an hour.

Jobard said around a third of the heavy fuel oil has been taken from the tank thanks to an extra pump on the line.

The team is using a hot tapping technique - a method of extracting oil from the submerged tank without allowing the oil in the tank to leak out.

And he said salvors have also been removing the last remnants of lubricating oil, along with emptying the storage tanks.

The team hopes to start sucking out the final bits of heavy fuel oil from the bottom of number 5 port fuel oil tank tomorrow.

The weather forecast for the next few days is good for salvage operations, with only minimal swells and light winds. The clear weather is forecast to remain until Wednesday.

Assistant on-scene commander, Scott Read, said beach clean-up events will continue at the weekend. On Saturday clean-up crews will be at Papamoa, Matakana Island and Maketu and on Sunday at Matakana Island and Papamoa.

A total of 904 tonnes of oily waste has so far been collected by the clean-up crews.

Jobard said once all the oil has been pumped off the ship, then, weather permitting, container removal from Rena will begin.

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Op vrijdag 11 november 2011 09:57 schreef JeMoeder het volgende:
Raar dat daar wordt gezegd dat het weer rustig zal zijn, lees hier:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz(...)=1&objectid=10765295

... dat het een stormachtige periode wordt.

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Salvors working on the stricken cargo vessel Rena have made the most of good weather conditions and have managed to remove 31 containers this week.

The operation to remove the containers started on Wednesday, six weeks after the ship fist ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef in the Bay Of Plenty.

Salvage teams concentrated on removing virtually all of the oil from the Rena before beginning the difficult task of removing more than 1200 cargo containers left onboard.

"Weather is one of the major players in this operation," MNZ Salvage Unit Manager Kenny Crawford said.

"Salvors are constantly monitoring weather conditions and container removal had to stop this afternoon as winds exceeded 24 knots."

Crawford said salvors will continue to make the most of the good weather while they can, but the job of releasing the containers is expected to take several months.

Meanwhile the nautical exclusion zone around the vessel has been reduced to three miles as the risk from an oil spill or containers coming loose has reduced.

Defence Force heads home

New Zealand Defence Force personnel have returned to their bases after helping with the Rena oil spill.

Hundreds of Defence Force personnel have been involved in cleaning up Bay of Plenty beaches since the Rena ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef off the Tauranga coast on October 5.

More than 922 tonnes of oil has been removed to date.

Maritime New Zealand Operations Manager Scott Read said the Defence Force had done a brilliant job in the clean up effort.

"From Mount Maunganui to Papamoa, Rabbit Island, Leisure Island and Matakana Island, Defence Force teams have been working tirelessly to clean-up the beaches," he said.

"We've had around 487 personnel involved since the response began and we're extremely grateful for their energy and ability to get the job done."

Commander Joint Task Force Lieutenant Commander Muzz Kennett said troops returned to their respective bases and homes yesterday.

However, 50 personnel will remain on standby ready to respond within 24 hours should further assistance be required, Kennett said.

He said troops have removed around 8.5 tonnes of oily waste in the last 10 days alone.

Warrant Officer Steve McCutcheon of the Royal New Zealand Air Force described the work as "messy hard work that just needs to be done", but said the public response had been really positive.

"Even if people don't stop, they yell out thank you. We've had a lot of support from local companies and the community.

People have donated trailers and Mount Maunganui camping ground offered parking, he said.

Iwi liaison officer Mike Borell said feedback from Matakana Island was positive with people saying that that troops have been a pleasure to work with.

"They formed good relationships with the whanau of Matakana Island right from the start," he said.

The Defence Force also deployed ships and aircraft to the area and a team of specialists from the Navy Littoral Warfare Support Group helped to clear and maintain shipping channels.

Naval assets supplied imagery and information on RENA's condition and Seasprite and Iroquois helicopters supported with aerial observation flights, transport of salvage experts to and from RENA, and night Search and Rescue Response standby.

http://tvnz.co.nz/nationa(...)iner-removal-4548606

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Weather is making difficult the salvage of containers from the grounded ship Rena.


The removal of containers paused this afternoon due to high winds- they exceeded 24 knots.

MNZ Salvage Unit Manager Kenny Crawford said a total of 31 containers had now been removed. However, the removal of containers had paused this afternoon due to high winds.

“It is important to bear in mind that conditions onshore can be vastly different to conditions at sea and salvors will continue to make the most of good weather as it comes along.:

A number of factors affect container salvage operations. These include the height, direction and period of swell as well as the wind speed and sea state.

“Long, slow, deep swells can cause particular concern for salvors as any movement below is amplified at the top of the crane,” Mr Crawford said.

RENA: Two more containers are lifted off | MNZ

Meanwhile, in consultation with the appropriate authorities, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s harbourmaster has amended the exclusion zone off the Bayof Plenty coast, with MNZ’s support.

From midnight tonight, the exclusion zone will be reduced to three nautical miles around the cargo ship Rena.

National On Scene Commander Mick Courtnell also reminded beach-goers to take care over the weekend.

“It’s important people remember that the beaches are not the same as they were before Rena grounded. There is still residual oil in the sand and in the water, and people should take care.

“Access restrictions remain in place at Maketū Spit and for about 3km east ofHarrison’s Cut past the Pāpāmoa Surf Lifesaving Club to Alexandra Place.

http://www.aktnz.co.nz/20(...)rena-lift-difficult/