Grounded ship leaking oil off coast of New Zealand
The nearly 50 thousand-tonne Liberian-flagged MV Rena has been stranded on a reef
about 12 nautical miles off Tauranga on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island
since running aground on Wednesday of last week. Several hundred tonnes of heavy fuel
oil have already escaped. The Director of Maritime New Zealand Catherine Taylor told
the BBC that weather conditions overnight were not favourable to salvage operations,
and that this created complications for the salvage effort. The district is a popular
holiday resort, renowned for surfing and nearby waters with an international reputation
for big-game fishing.