PUMPING oil from the stricken 3,300 TEU Rena on the
Astrolabe Reef off the New Zealand coast was to resume on Thursday this week
after being abandoned due to bad weather.
Ninety tonnes of fuel has been pumped from the ship,
leaving 1,300 tonnes of fuel still on board, reported London's Containerisation
International. There are growing fears that the ship will break up, causing a
catastrophic oil spill.
Eight-eight containers have fallen into the ocean since
running aground on the Astrolabe Reef on October 5.
The salvage adviser for Maritime New Zealand Bruce
Andersen told Reuters: "They have sensors on board the vessel now, which
are saying that it's got about half a degree of rotation and about a degree's
lift at the stern."
Thousands of volunteers, soldiers and specialist teams
have taken to cleaning the polluted beaches. Oil covered debris from broken
containers has been scattered as far as 250 kilometres east of Tauranga.
Owned by Costamare and chartered by MSC, the vessel's
Filipino captain and navigational officer have been charged with negligence.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of NZ$10,000 (US$7,900) or 12 months in
prison.
Source : HKSG.
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