Subscribe to RSSRena Salvor Hurt - Latest Onboard Photos
Winds this morning caused a four hour delay in transferring salvors on board the Rena and working conditions on board remain hazardous.
Mr Crawford said that a salvor who slipped on the vessel has fractured his wrist, which highlighted the difficult and dangerous environment on board.
Salvors aboard Rena work attach oil pumping hoses on deck | LOC
Divers are making daily inspections of the hull, including the section known to have begun buckling.
Daylight is visible through crack on the port side of Rena | LOC
Damage to piping and decking on Rena is clearly visible | LOC
Salvors have removed over 1000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil off the striken cargo vesse; Rena, and there are 358 tonnes of heavy fuel oil remaining on board in the submerged number 5 starboard tank.
Lubricants, hydraulic and waste oils from the engine room of the cargo vessel Rena are being transferred onto the barge Awanuia while preparations continue for “hot tapping” the last tank of heavy fuel oil remaining on the vessel.
To hot tap the tank, a hole is cut into the fuel tank through a flange attached to the deck. Water is then pumped into the fuel tank, raising the oil to the top, so it can be extracted.
MNZ Salvage Unit Manager Kenny Crawford said sea water was being pumped in to the starboard wing tank to raise the level of the oil and hoses for recovering the oil were being rigged in readiness.
40 underwater locator beacons are being attached to the most vulnerable containers, which will allow them to be tracked for recovery if they should be lost overboard.
The container recovery operation is also continuing, with systematic sweeps being made of the seabed to find containers swept overboard three weeks ago.
Assistant National On Scene Commander Andrew Berry said oil spill clean-up operations continued today around Maketu Peninsula, Papamoa, Matakana and Te Tumu. Volunteers, the defence force and Iwi worked together to clean remobilised oil on beaches.
Planning is underway to begin trials of surf washing and beach grooming next week.
A total of 401 birds are being cared for at the Oiled Wildlife Facility, including 60 New Zealand dotterel, pre-emptively caught to protect the local population and 334 little blue penguins.
Mr Berry praised the efforts of volunteers who were helping with the beach clean-ups and said that it was not too late for other people to join the response.
There will be three clean-ups tomorrow involving volunteers, all beginning at 9am at Papamoa, meeting at the Papamoa Surf Club; Te Tumu, meeting at the east end of Papamoa Beach Rd and Maketu, meeting at the Whakaue Marae. Another group will be working on Motiti Island.
1 Comments
Thankfully it looks like all is going well…