New Zealand’s Astrolabe Reef Reclaiming the Rena — 2020 Shipwreck Survey

Almost a decade ago, the container ship MV Rena ran hard aground on Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga on New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty. The ship, carrying 2,100 containers and 1,700 tonnes of heavy fuel, would break up resulting in New Zealand’s … Continue reading

Update: Owners of Container Ship MV Rena Plead Guilty, Pay NZ$300K Fine

Daina Shipping, owner of the container ship MV Rena, has been fined NZ $300,000 (US $246,000) for discharging harmful substances after the Liberian flagged ship, ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga, New Zealand in early October of last year. The ship subsequently broke up … Continue reading

Update: MV Rena – Cover-up Revealed and Jail Time for Captain and Second Officer

On October 5, 2011, the containership MV Rena ran aground on Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga, resulting in one of the worst maritime environmental disasters in New Zealand history.  Yesterday, in a New Zealand court, the captain, Mauro Balomaga, and second officer, Leonil Relon, were … Continue reading

Oil on the Water – Barge Spill on the Mississippi, Progress on the Concordia and Chances Missed on the Rena

Three stories this weekend of oil spills, a successful oil transfer and opportunities lost in mitigating a spill.  Two barges collided on the Mississippi River on Friday upriver from New Orleans.  A roughly 3,500 barrel capacity double hulled tank barge suffered damage … Continue reading

Update: MV Rena – Unloading Containers & Little Blue Penguins Released

The clean-up continues on the MV Rena which ran  hard aground on Astrolabe Reef near Tauranga, New Zealand on October 5, 2011. The remaining oil has been pumped off and efforts are beginning to remove the container cargo from the stricken ship.  Roughly forty containers have been … Continue reading

MV Rena Cracking, Risking Breaking Up, Containers Washing Ashore

The Liberian flagged container ship, MV Rena, which ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga, New Zealand last week is continuing to suffer structural cracking and is continuing to spill bunker oil and losing containers overboard. Several beaches on the … Continue reading

Oil Spill from MV Rena – A Small Leak or Looming Environmental Disaster ?

Depending on what one reads, the oil spill associated with the grounding of the MV Rena on Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga, New Zealand is either a “small leak” or a “looming environmental disaster.”  Conceivably, depending on the integrity of the ship’s hull, both … Continue reading

MV Rena Aground on Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga, New Zealand

The Liberian flagged container ship, MV Rena, ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga, New Zealand yesterday, flooding two cargo holds.   The ship is loaded with approximately 2,100 containers and has around 1,700 tonnes of heavy fuel.  There has been no spillage of … Continue reading