TOURISM BAY OF PLENTY – RENA GROUNDING INFORMATION
Updated 27 March 2012
SITUATION UPDATE
Clean-up and salvage operations for the grounded cargo vessel Rena have been ongoing since early October, when the 236m cargo ship grounded on the Astrolabe Reef, near Tauranga Harbour.
Heavy weather in the Bay of Plenty, on the 21 March, resulted in a further release of eight containers and debris from the Rena. Salvors are continuing to assess the damage caused to the wreck. One container was located by Braemar Howells at sea; however it sunk in 20 metres of water. The container has had a buoy attached for recovery. The other seven are presumed to have sunk. Ongoing sonar work will continue around the wreck site to locate lost containers.
Braemar Howells container and debris recovery teams have recovered small amounts of debris from Tuapiro Point near Katikati, and from Waihi Beach. Mount Maunganui and Papamoa beaches were surveyed for possible debris with none found on shore. A coastal flight survey is continuing to monitor for possible debris.
Maritime NZ received a number of reports of small amounts of oil from Mount Maunganui down to Maketu Spit. All reports were investigated and combined surveys and clean ups of these areas were undertaken on Thursday (22 March) and carried through until Sunday (25 March). Oil deposits have been cleaned up where appropriate and there have been no further reports of oil since late Friday (23 March).
The current Rena marine exclusion zone remains in place - a two nautical mile radius around Astrolabe Reef. The Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s Harbourmaster also advises recreational boaties must stay at least 200 metres clear of all containers from Rena, as well as any salvage vessel working on the response.
Virtually all Bay of Plenty beaches have been open to the public from 16 November. In a world-first, volunteers were used to help clean up the oil spill, with great results. In a survey of visitors run over the peak summer season, 95% of respondents found the beaches clean and 89% found the water clean. Maritime NZ, local councils and Tourism Bay of Plenty held an event on 11 March on the Mount Main Beach thanking the volunteers for all their efforts. All water-based events have gone ahead since the start of this year, including the Hyundai Pro Long-board Tour (18-19 February) and the Port of Tauranga Half Ironman (7 January).
There is no appreciable food safety risk from the MV Rena oil spill. Finfish and crayfish are still good to eat; however, there is currently a health warning for the coastline from Tairua in the Coromandel to Rogers Road at Pukehina due to sampling of shellfish, which shows high levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poisons.
RESOURCES FOR TOURISM OPERATORS
Tourism Bay of Plenty has been providing regular updates to local tourism operators, other members of the tourism industry and media as new information is received. Tourism is a $450m per annum industry to the Western Bay of Plenty and Tourism Bay of Plenty is committed to updating and supporting the local tourism industry.
The information included in the toolkit and attachments is subject to change. Please refer to the sources listed in the materials or http://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/incident for the latest information.
OTHER INFORMATION AND LINKS:
