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The Rena on the morning of the grounding. Sadly, the days would not get better CAN TURN UGLY HOW QUICKLY THINGS BY KEITH INGRAM W hen the 236m cargo vessel MV Rena struck Astrolabe Reef, near Tauranga Harbour, around 0220 on Wednesday, October 5, she was doing some 17 knots when 47,230 tonnes came to a grinding halt in less than half her length. That's one serious stop and suggests she would be stuck fast at the bow and not about to go anywhere. Fortunately there were no reported injuries to the 25 crew on board as every mariner's dreaded nightmare was about to unfold. It was not the kind of birthday any captain would wish to wake up to and the master of the Rena, who we understand was on the bridge with the 2nd mate and a lookout, was about to swallow a very bitter pill. Any suggestion they had been drinking has not been confirmed and it is not unusual for the companies operating these ships to have a dry ship policy. The Rena was inward bound from Napier and was only some 45 minutes from the pilot station, so it is reasonable to expect the port would have been monitoring her progress. She would have been easily seen on AIS and possibly the port's radar, but either way, they would have been preparing for her arrival and would have had her on the plot. Was her pending approach being monitored and what is Port of Tauranga Limited's responsibility to its duty of care to all shipping entering and leaving the port. Why was the ship not being plotted once she was on the approaches to Tauranga and if she was, why was her crew not alerted to the fact that they were heading into danger? Or the question might be, why has New Zealand's largest port by tonnage, with a significant reef on the approaches, not put a light or a beacon on Astrolabe Reef? Or is this Maritime New Zealand's responsibility? My belief is that it may have been an electronically assisted accident resulting from human error. Let's not panic, as the reef now has a very large radar reflector on it to warn shipping for the immediate future. One could argue that as it was clearly marked on the charts there should be no need for added identification. I guess you could have said the same about Bell Rock, some 12 miles east of the Scottish port of 32 Professional Skipper November/December 2011 Dundee, which is not too dissimilar to Astrolabe Reef. On October 6, the day after the grounding, the director of Maritime New Zealand, Catherine Taylor, issued the owner of the Rena, the Daina Shipping Company, and the ship's charterer, Mediterranean Shipping Co SA, with two notices under section 248 of the Maritime Transport Act 1994. The director considers the Rena to be a hazardous ship and instructed those responsible for her to ensure a reputable salvor be appointed promptly and to keep Maritime NZ informed of all salvage operations. This does not put Maritime NZ in charge of the salvage, but gives the authority the right of veto or the ability to take control if it deems it is necessary. This is an interesting point to consider, because in salvage law the ship remains the responsibility of her owners and insurers and as such the appointed salvors have total responsibility for the salvage of the ship and her cargo and ultimately the cost to clean up the mess, up to the maximum liability of $12.1 million. Meanwhile, Maritime NZ's responsibility rests in ensuring any environmental damage is kept to a minimum, the cargo and wreck is removed and the resulting mess cleaned up. Sadly $12.1million is not going to go a long way in covering the cost of the resulting environmental damage, meaning taxpayers will once again be expected to carry this added burden. Catherine Taylor's instructions to the ship's owner also included that they must comply with the directions of the National On Scene Commander (NOSC) and permit him to carry out any inspections necessary to determine what steps need to be taken to control or clean up the area. The owner must also establish clear and regular lines of communication with Maritime NZ regarding the salvage operation before a plan is put into action and once the salvage is underway. Daina Shipping Company subsequently appointed SVITZER to manage the salvage operation. SVITZER Salvage says they are leaders in the field of salvage and towing, with more than 175 years of experience. So it would be reasonable to guess they know what they are doing regarding emergency salvage response and wreck removal. PHOTO: WESTERN WORKBOATS