Rena update (update 132)

14 December 2011 - 10.00AM

No containers were removed from Rena yesterday as salvors worked on a modification to the crane. This work will continue today.

• Salvors are also working on the installation of large steel patches in Rena’s internal corridors, to improve buoyancy. So far, three of the patches, weighing around 700kg each, have been installed and another three close to completion of installation.
• Dive teams will be continuing inspection work around the hull today. Dive teams yesterday identified slight changes in the buckling in the starboard side. However, the motion sensors attached to the hull detect no significant change in movement. The wreck remains in a fragile state.
• The weather at the Astrolabe Reef this morning was fair, with light winds and a sea swell of about 2m. The winds are forecast to increase during the day to around 20 knots, and continue increasing until they peak on Thursday around 30 knots with a 4m swell. The weather is forecast to settle after Saturday.
• The Braemar Howells container recovery team at Te Kaha, East Cape yesterday found part of an oiled refrigerated container which has been brought back to Tauranga. No container recovery operations were done at Mōtītī Island yesterday due to fog, but that area will be checked today.
• Oil spill response observation teams this morning confirmed a rainbow sheen stretching up to 5km from the vessel, about 30m wide. There are some darker patches around the vessel.
• Shoreline Clean-up Assessment Teams will be covering from Pāpāmoa back to Mt Maunganui today looking for any fresh oil. Leisure Island and āo will also be covered.
• Clean-up operations are continuing around āo and Matakana. High priority areas have been cleaned and work is moving to secondary areas. Manual work will be done at Mauāo, along with warm water washing of the rocks and searches for tar balls on the beach.
• Oiled wildlife teams conducted night operations to check on penguins released around Mauāo to ensure they are not being re-oiled. The teams found no oiled penguins last night.
• A carpet was laid over oiled areas to protect penguins coming in last night – this will be done the next couple of nights as well.
• A wildlife team will go to Mōtītī Island tomorrow to assess the penguin habitats there. There will be a penguin release tomorrow at 8am at Mount Maunganui main beach.