Helicopter Spraying Dispersant on Oil Spilled from MV Rena Photo: Alan Gibson
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 may be right.
The Herald Sun reports that “salvage company representatives had reported the leak and said it had been stopped with only a small amount going into the water,” while the NZ Herald reports that the “ship is haemorrhaging oil into the sea off Tauranga.” Radio New Zealand is reporting somewhere between the two other reports, noting that “Maritime New Zealand believes the fuel tanks are still intact and heavy fuel oil leaking from the vessel appears to be from pipes. It is not clear how much has leaked into the sea.”
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Two hundred and fifty three years ago today, 
