CONTAINER VESSEL, RENA, STRIKES REEF

Oct 2011: he cargo vessel Rena struck Astrolabe Reef 12 nautical miles off Tauranga and grounded.

Rena was carrying 1,368 containers and 1,733 tonnes of heavy fuel oil (HFO) on board at the time of grounding. An oil leak was detected on the night of night 5 October and a salvor, Svitzer, was appointed by the vessels owners and insurers the next day.

The men responsible for causing New Zealand’s worst maritime environmental disaster by grounding the Rena off Tauranga’s coast were sentenced to seven months in jail. because of “systematic failures” in the ship’s navigation which was deemed to be the captain’s responsibility.