NZ charged the owners of the Rena, the Greek company Daina Shipping Co under the Resource Management Act with "discharge of harmful substances from ships" in the coastal marine area. The charge carries a maximum fine of $600,000 and $10,000 for every day the offending continues. Daina was the registered owner of the Rena and has overall responsibility for the operation of the ship. The charge has been laid in the Tauranga District Court and is expected to have its first call on May 25. This is significant, because the Rena's clean-up costs are purported to be in excess of $150 million with some pundits suggesting we will see $220 million before this saga ends. This is along with some 20,000 birds dead from the 350 tonnes of oil spilled and approximately 2325 tonnes of waste collected since the Rena ran aground. The question of wreck removal
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remains, with Maritime NZ saying it will be removed. Then there are the opportunists and misguided saying leave her there as a tourist dive attraction, while ignoring the fact that it will remain a dangerous dive with the prospect that many inexperienced lives could be lost. I would suggest Maritime NZ has called this one right and the wreck above and below the surface should be recovered and sold for scrap. Who will be expected to pay these costs and who will end up paying remains the burning question. Clearly the New Zealand coastal shipping and marine industry is in no position to pay or even sustain increased levies and fees from Maritime NZ. The question of where the final costs lie and who pays will no doubt remain the subject of much legal debate between the New Zealand government, Maritime NZ and the international shipping community. Sadly, the loser could be the New Zealand tax payer, who once again may end up footing the bill. What has happened is not surprising to most mariners, possibly the only surprise is that it has taken so long. The front section, although firmly wedged on the reef between two rocks, with one impaled into her for'ard section, has also felt the force of the large seas, but appears to be staying put for the time being. It's all a bit ironic when one reflects on the ship's proposed safe passage plan and then reviews the actual track taken with all the associated added risks along the way. The time gained or saved was only some 25 minutes over a planned 16 hour coastal passage. Scary, aye! On a more positive note, while the Rena's bow section remains a sad reminder to all seafarers, at least she is aiding safety by giving a visual warning identifying the reef as a hazard to navigation by making a bloody good radar reflector.
The only things you should leave behind are ripples.
If your boat and equipment haven't been properly cleaned and your hull antifouled before entering Fiordland, you could be spreading marine pests. For more information visit biosecurity.govt.nz
