The Rena
October 12th, 2011 at 2:40 pm by David FarrarI’ve heard from a source that sadly the Rena is breaking in half. Note this is not confirmed. If so, then it will become a mitigation operation.
Transporting goods by shipping is generally considered more environmentally friendly than roads, but alas in this case not so much.
Tags: environment, Rena
October 12th, 2011 at 2:43 pm
I still find it very difficult to get my head around the fact that some plonker managed to park a rather large boat on a rather large and well known reef.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 2:47 pm
Transporting goods by ship is very effective and environmentally friendly, as long as you ensure your crew are sober and competent, the vessel is seaworthy, and there are protocols that ensure people follow the rules of the local ports or have experienced sailing on the approaches to foreign ports.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 2:58 pm
I’m not really surprised that she may be breaking up. She is balanced rather awkwardly on the reef with her stern hanging out into the swell, and presently there is a 4 – 5 metre swell running.
I reckon that the insurers will be happier about this than trying to repair her, but it will take a long time to clean up the mess on the reef – much longer than cleaning up the beach.
Vote:Maybe she should just be scuttled – quite a handy way to augment Astrolabe.
October 12th, 2011 at 2:58 pm
Seems the day of the crash was also the captains birthday. Funny that!
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 3:00 pm
GPT1
I favour the cock-up theory.
But we need to see what the MSA prosections throws up regarding the allegations against the master.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 3:10 pm
There are suggestions that taxpayers may have to pay for part of the salvage and clean-up.
Uh, why?
The shipping company and its insurers should be paying all recovery, all cleanup and all lost income costs. This wasn’t an act of God like the earthquakes. This is clearly a competence issue on the part of the crew.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 3:13 pm
A master mariner of my experience (who has done salvage work in various parts of the world) is of the view that it is New Zealand’s risk averse culture (Oh we cant get in too close on the lee side, that might be hazardous) which has led to this situation. He may well be an armchair expert, but the enquiry will be interesting.
Also be interesting to hear how the authorities explain away the refusal to take up the offer of the guy with the oil transporting barges (??) who said he could have got all the fuel oil off in two days if they had taken him up on his offer. Again, the enquiry will be interesting….
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 3:14 pm
Can someone tell me whether the ship was approaching or leaving Tauranga?
Apparently some poor bastard lost a 1972 Holden Monaro GTS.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 3:16 pm
Actually, the skipper couldn’t have done a better job of wrecking the ship if he had tried. 100 meters either side of where he struck, he would not have hit the reef.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 3:17 pm
She was approaching Adolf
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 3:17 pm
Adolf.
It is my understanding that the ship was coming from Napier to Tauranga – so she hit the reef on her way into port.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 3:18 pm
Who pays for what in this disaster is governed by part 25 of the Maritime Transport Act which says in summary that the shipowners, and their insurers carry the cost of the casualty.
My feeling is that the government will be obliged to cough up for some of the costs as they are incurred but will be indemnified by the insurer and owner at a later date.
In the same piece you quote Rouppe Stuff suggests that there is cover to the extent of $5 billion. That shhould cover quite a bit of recovery and clean up.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 3:21 pm
David Farrar says:- “Transporting goods by shipping is generally considered more environmentally friendly than roads, but alas in this case not so much.”
That makes no sense. “This case” can only be seen within the wider context of the environmental impact of shipping as a whole.
You don’t have to lay down a zillion tonnes of tar for a ship to sail on for starters.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 3:28 pm
What an odd little post.
Drunk drivers behind the wheel of trucks without warrants aren’t good for anyone either. Best abandon road freight too.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 3:28 pm
David,
Have a look at the earlier Rena thread for some of the discussion that took place.
I did some maths. There were 1700 tonnes of bunkers on the vessel and 300 tonnes or so of diesel fuel as well.
The barges would need to shift 35.4 tonnes an hour from the vessel to shore to achieve the outcome claimed. And that is just the bunkers.
Given the diameter of the pipe (9 inch) used by Awanui to receive the bunkers before the bad weather took hold and handling characteristics of the bunkers I am sceptical that could be achieved.
I do agree however that an enquiry is required.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 3:28 pm
TVNZ video showing the ship split: http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/raw-video-aerial-footage-rena-4461729
An inquiry is under way: Who is to blame for Rena?
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 3:35 pm
John Key is now implying the cost could be 1 billion dollars plus.
“The stricken cargo ship Rena could break up, and taxpayers may have to pay for part of the salvage and clean-up, Prime Minister John Key says.”
So , I was wondering, how much is it insured for….
“The stricken ship is covered for up to $5 billion in insurance claims – with up to a fifth of that set aside for pollution liability”
So, 1 billion is set aside for pollution cover -ie , cleaning up the oil. Any extra will be provided by the tax payer.
In addition, local business and residents should receive compensation too (my opinion).
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 4:05 pm
Captains birthday was on the day of the crash……i wonder if he got drunk to celebrate.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 4:09 pm
There will be very little in the way of compensation for NZ; taxpayers will wear the cost.
The Captain may be prosecuted, but no doubt has little money yo pay a fine.
The company will hide behind Liberian registration. Sure, it will pay insurance to its consigners if it must, but will quite possibly wiggle out of that. Like a lot of shipping, this is probably the only assett of the “company” that was formed to hide from liability.
This is the result of no regulation, and this is still the mantra of the Right. Privatise profit, socialise losses.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 4:28 pm
MNIJ
This is the result of no regulation, and this is still the mantra of the Right. Privatise profit, socialise losses.
Oh what nonsense. You do NOT see free market types cheering when loss making companies get bailed out. Nobody accused either Bush 2 or Obama of being too free market when bailing out Detroit. As always, you have it backwards. Let the company pay for the mess it has created.
And what’s the missing magic regulation here? ‘Don’t drive ships onto rocks?’ ‘Don’t drink and captain ships’? Those are already regulated against, comrade.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 4:31 pm
Who would pay for it though if the government didn’t? In my mind, this is why we have an army, so they can respond quickly to a national emergency and start doing what they do best and fixing problems. The insurance company and the shipping company would have no appetite to get onto it quickly enough because they will be looking to avoid liability, and thus further costs. The govt should have got on this one straightaway, the private sector has not responded fast enough.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 4:39 pm
MNIJ
As usual your comment contains some fact & some socialist spin. I agree that we have some badly maintained shit heaps registered in ports of convenience visiting NZ waters. It seems that many are crewed by poorly trained & poorly paid third world crews…ditto for many of the foreign fishing boats working our waters. It is my opinion that only luck has prevented incidents similar to that caused by the Rena.
For the reasons lets look back 20 – 30 years when nearly all coastal & international shipping was by NZ owned & crewed ships. Remember the endless strikes, stop works & work to rule type industrial action? NZ’s primary producers, the earners of most of our foreign exchange held to ransom by greedy port workers & seamen. Remember the seamen’s or the cooks & stewards unions spoiling everyone’s travel plans every holiday season sometimes for real important stuff like a faulty toaster in the galley.
These are the main reasons deregulation was welcomed by the NZ voters. I think that as in many cases the baby went with the bath water but your socialist & commie mates sure played their part.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 4:40 pm
@awb
Re: The Army. While the NZDF is invaluable at times like this, its reason for existing is not to shovel silt in CHCH or sand in Tauranga.
Re: Govt response time. What could the ‘govt’ have done faster?
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 4:51 pm
“Transporting goods by shipping is generally considered more environmentally friendly than roads, but alas in this case not so much.”
With respect, DPF, that is one of the most idiotic things I have seen written by a blogger in a long time. As Scott Chris and decanker pointed out, we are an ISLAND nation and road transport for our imports and exports is not an option. This ship isn’t a coaster….. its a long-haul international CONTAINER vessel FFS.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 4:55 pm
here it comes ……
Vote:its the gummints fault ….
October 12th, 2011 at 4:58 pm
EWS – They really should have anticipated some sort of oil spill from a wounded ship, i mean, where do you think the oil will go? Everyone involved should have moved faster and earlier, but they had at the time more newsworthy priorities.
Vote:And re the army, perhaps that would be a more worthwhile use of their time, given their title is defence forces. At the moment New Zealand needs to be defended by a quick response logistical operation, its just that rather than killing people they are protecting our beaches and waters.
October 12th, 2011 at 5:03 pm
Dave Mann
Obviously this ship wouldn’t be described as a coaster but these same international box ships still carry a lot of domestic freight from port to port as they move around NZ.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 5:07 pm
It must be a full moon.
DPF stated: “Transporting goods by shipping is generally considered more environmentally friendly than roads, but alas in this case not so much.” Now daft references to our topography and our supply chain are being rolled out.
So lets read DPF’s comment again. Shipping IS generally more ENVIRONMENTALLY friendly – no road congestion / fewer nasties released to the atmosphere / smaller carbon footprint etc. That is a statement of fact. Note this statement has no mention of the convenience of road or rail / no reference to the timeliness of getting products from A to B – just the principle that shipping is more environmentally friendly. In the case of the Rena, the ‘more environmentally friendly’ principle has been reversed – because some moron parked it on a reef.
For some, comprehension is clearly not a strong point. FFS!!!
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 5:14 pm
@awb
I’m not sure if you don’t have a TV or a radio or don’t use internet new services, but Maritime NZ does have plans for these events and is now responding with that plan. Please tell us WHAT exactly should have been faster?
Can the govt control the weather? No.
Should it have 24hr-response unit on stand-by for these once in a decade (maybe one in lifetime) scenarios? Surely not.
And a ‘Defence’ Force defends aggression from armed enemies, not silt or oil. Soldiers don’t join the Army to do the job a Fulton Hogan labourer could do.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 5:24 pm
But why exactly should that be the Defence Force’s first priority, given that nobody is attacking us? Should they be on 24/7 standby for that? I’m not blaming the army, I’m blaming the politicians who didn’t give quick orders to them.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 5:25 pm
@awb
Wouldn’t it be in the best interests of the company and insurer to act quickly to ensure that they minimise the risk to the vessel and environment and therefore their liability?
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 5:29 pm
I disaggree, they should have the kit in one place ready to ship where it is needed.
Vote:As for manpower this is a small country divers and assessors could have been flown to site within 2-4 hrs to assess surely?
This is all part of disaster planning isn’t it?
Why not use the defense force as we don’t have a coastguard worth quoting.
October 12th, 2011 at 5:32 pm
Gazzmaniac – No, it would be in their best interests to do everything they can to absolve themselves of blame, and therefore, potential financial costs. If they started cleaning up, it would be an admission of responsibility.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 5:38 pm
Jackonasurfboard says:- “Privatise profit, socialise losses”
This is a good point. If any foreign ship is not insured to cover the full cost of possible damage to the environment, then the ship should not be allowed in our waters. Or we could insure ourselves and charge all ships a levy to defray that cost.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 5:46 pm
Ah, so someone is going to build us a motorway between Tauranga and Hong Kong. Yep, Steven Joyce just gotta be the man for that!
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 5:51 pm
I listened to a marine lawyer being interviewed on the radio earlier. It seems there are limits of liability to the vessel owner and or charterer under maritime law for Aust. and NZ, at least. But it is not a simple set of legal issues –there appear to be a mass of liability possibilities for those concerned. I cannot recall the figures mentioned but if the worst happened in this case it would appear that not everything will be covered.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 5:53 pm
This is not great but it is not a national disaster.
Its not John Keys fault and as much as I would like it to be its not Phil Goffs either.
I remember the Wahine sinking with great loss of life, with the Rena we have a few birds and some oil on the beaches for a while, not ideal but shit happens.
Theer are dozens of ships lost at sea every year with crews and up to 10,000 containers are lost at sea every year providing excellent navigation hazards
The link below has a bit of info re; salvage and liens etc on cargo
http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Marine+insurance
As far as an international marine incident goes this is a fender bender in a supermarket carpark
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 6:02 pm
Must be tough being the intellectual powerhouse of the Watermelon party Toadie.
You should space out a bit, have a toke, sniff some hydrocarbons or something.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 6:22 pm
Ahhh from Pauleastbay the voice of sanity and rational perspective. Thank you!!
Also, why do people (including DPF it seems) orgasm at the word ‘environment’? Isn’t it of more than passing interest that a whole CONTAINER SHIP along with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of valuable CARGO has been lost here?
I have yet to see or hear any media commentary that acknowledges the real loss in this affair other than creaming off about some bloody seabirds.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 6:23 pm
@awb
Actually, there are probably 700 NZDF per overseas in about 12 countries. The rest at home training to take over the next rotation or are in support. So to suggest they’re not doing anything is wrong.
ANYWAY, back to your original point, what specifically should the govt done faster? Just saying “it should have been faster” isn’t an answer to my question.
There are to many Harry-Hindsights, Armchair Admirals, and left wing opportunists in this country.
And what about the ****wit Goff. I creeps around Tauranga saying weasel words like “There are many people who feel things should have been done faster” all the while knowing stuff was being done as fast as it could be. He was Minister of Defence, he knows how these things work.
John Key is not perfect by any means, but he is a leader. Goff and Norman are just hacks who are uninspiring and ultimately useless to the success of NZ.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 6:33 pm
The job is now coded as Renal Failure.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 6:33 pm
It’s pretty easy to work out who is responsible and liable here – the captain and his employer the shipping line. A bit like crashing into a powerpole with your car in the middle of the night – there was nobody else around to cause the accident. Therefore with little room to move on responsibility they should move as fast as possible to reduce the liability.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 6:34 pm
Very good, Viking2!!!
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 6:39 pm
or, alternatively, a graphic illustration of the fact that ship happens…..
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 6:45 pm
@East Wellington Superhero
Good points!
The greens immediately seek to make shameless politicking over offshore oil drilling, when it’s not even clear there is any oil there to drill.
Vote:They have been in parliament since 1999, how many times have they sought to improve operational or proceedural preparedness for an oil spill. My guess would be very little, at least compared with their other concearns over child smacking, and micro-chipping dogs.
October 12th, 2011 at 6:59 pm
Dave Mann
…”a whole CONTAINER SHIP along with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of valuable CARGO has been lost here? “…..
So what? I doubt that any of it wouldn’t be insured & if it wasn’t it’s a bit like a homeowner who doesn’t insure their house against fire or what have you…that’s bad, how sad, oh dear, never mind.
If there’s one group I feel sorry for it is those who are geared up to make their money from holidaymakers & tourists. People who own beachside camping grounds, motels, shops & the like who will lose heavily because some probably half pissed idiot makes a gigantic cockup & parks a ship on top of a well charted brick.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 7:28 pm
“The job is now coded as Renal Failure”, I don’t think Jonah would be laughing at that one.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 8:44 pm
From the “Harold”.
“Naval architects are working on possible scenarios and iwi were also involved advising on any cultural issues regarding moving or sinking the ship. ”
Thank the fuck for that, The Taniwhas are sorted.
The world looks on while we regress back into the stone age.
Hope we never change the anthem. God defend NZ seems pretty bloody appropriate to me.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 8:55 pm
I hear that a large convoy of Army vehicles was seen heading north towards Picton this morning. The troops were wearing fluro vests so not playing war games.
Go Army!!!
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 9:11 pm
FFS, this thread has got so screwed and bizarre I’m not going to even bother commenting on it any more, other than to say the Invisible Hand didn’t move fast enough to avert disaster.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 9:15 pm
Well the scene is really playing out as expected.
Vote:The sun will still come up tomorrow, work needs to be done, and will be done.
It’s a dirty job and someone will do it.
Lots of someones actually.
The oil that has spilt will come ashore with dead wildlife, sad but true.
We cannot change the scene now.
What we can do is look to the future, put more checks in place as required, and endeavour to prevent a similar scene.
Humans being humans will always be failable, these types of things will continue to happen around the world.
Vehicles move, humans in charge = a problem sooner or later.
October 12th, 2011 at 9:21 pm
Keep spouting the party line toad…someone somewhere is listening.
Why didn’t your lot of “green” heros push your labour buddies to put systems in place while you had your chance?
Ya did nothing about oil spill response..not a bloody thing, yet now you are happy to politicise this and fling shit, but not have to get your hands dirty…Easy eh?
Normans & your child MP Hughes lack any credibility on this subject.
Watermelons..the party whos stated policy is to increase coastal shipping, thereby increasing the risk of this sort of event happening more often.
Vote:The watermelons who have done jack shit to put any systems in place to cleanup when/if their increased shipping policy comes to pass.
Hypocrites.
October 12th, 2011 at 9:24 pm
Toad: FFS, this thread has got so screwed and bizarre I’m not going to even bother commenting on it any more, other than to say the Invisible Hand didn’t move fast enough to avert disaster.
Oh…I thought the State was the one in charge and buggering about as is its nature….silly me.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 9:37 pm
What a fucking load of bullshit. This isn’t the end of the world, it’s not good but what the fuck can anyone do about it now. The bloody oil is bio-degradable despite all the wankers and dick pullers {melons ) preaching end off the world bullshit. The sea leaks natural oil around here from deposits on the seedbed. Oil is a natural product, but listening to the cock pullers and doom merchants it’s all over. bs bs bs . Yeah listen to the lefty media and dumb-ares comments, God we have tosspots in this country.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 9:59 pm
Lofty, Scorned, SSB – The Greens were talking about this ship and the chances of an oil spill straight away, it took the government days. You can’t accuse them of politicking, they just have a genuine concern for the environment. Always have, always will.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 10:01 pm
Well, we’ve had our share in the last two years….
The financial crisis
One of the worst earthquakes is NZ history
One of the worst mine disasters in NZ history
The worst environmental disaster in NZ history
And some people blame the government
Vote:Try to gain political points………………..
October 12th, 2011 at 10:23 pm
Fair enough awb, I should not attack the Melons, i didn’t really mean to. My problem is the media and the breast beating, we are all fucking doomed, ‘this pasts as informed comment from our msm. They are playing this to every last drop of oil, every last dead bird for all it’s worth. It’s not good for the poor bastards that live there but i would bet my bottom dollar someone that has everything taken away would gladly change places ie CHCH
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 10:37 pm
For all the idiots who are mindlessly chanting ” nothing happened for three days” here’s a little time line for you giving some of the events going on. There is much more and it is freely available on the mnz website.
5 October
2.20am ship grounds
8am observation flight in air
by 9am Response team activated and people heading to Tauranga and MNZ inspector on board ship
10.45 MNZ inspector reports holes in vessel. Fuel pumped to safer tanks on ship. MPRS team activated in Auckland and equipment mobilised in Tauranga as precaution
3.30pm MPRS incident control centre being established in Tauranga. National experts travelling to assist
6 October
An aerial observation flight in the morning confirmed oil leakage
MNZ Maritime Safety Inspector on board the ship confirmed that oil was leaking from the vessel.
The oil spill response team conducted an on-water assessment of the oil slick,
The team conducted dispersant field tests to assess the potential effectiveness of a dispersant
Supplies from the national oil spill response equipment stockpile arrived in Tauranga
wildlife response launched
Establishment of a bird cleaning and rehabilitation centre in Tauranga got underway, along with a forward base on Motiti Island.
salvor appointed and the Director has issued the owner of the cargo vessel with two notices under section 248 of the Maritime Transport Act 1994.
7 Oct
aerial observation flight
dispersant assessments show it not as effective as anticipated. Dispersant use resumed
MNZ prepared for an on-water operation to collect oil spilled from damaged pipes – no sign that a large amount of oil was being released from the main tanks.
Vessels and equipment being assembled to mount an on-water response to collect oil on the water
A specialist oiled wildlife response centre was established by the NOWRT and teams of wildlife rescue staff were sent to Motiti Island.
MNZ also prepared to launch a shoreline clean-up in the event that oil reached land.
8 Oct
observation flight confirmed oil appears to have stopped flowing from the Rena
Dispersant application put on standby until any further thick patches of oil were identified.
specialists from around New Zealand and Australia continued to join the response team which grew close to 200.
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) also joined the incident command centre. Four NZDF vessels were deployed with the Rotoiti, Taupo and the Manawanui arriving during the day and the Endeavour expected to arrive on Monday. An additional 500 NZDF personnel were put on standby.
Specialist salvage equipment was deployed from around the country and Australia to support the salvage operation being undertaken by Svitzer.
The Ports of Auckland tug the Waka Kume arrived in the morning to assist in the salvage, with the Awanuia fuel tanker arriving later.
A draft salvage plan was prepared by Svitzer. MNZ and technical experts began reviewing the plan. Additional resources including specialist vessels, a helicopter and additional staff were also tasked by Svitzer.
A total of 85 personnel in 14 teams were out on beaches looking for affected animals.
The response team has received technical advice and support from the UK, Australia and Singapore. National and international offers of assistance and equipment have also been received as reciprocation to memorandums of understanding as well as New Zealand’s support in Australian spills and the Gulf of Mexico spill
etc etc etc
This info is all publicly available but some seem to prefer wallowing in deliberate ignorance. By way of comparison, it took Australian authorities nearly 24 hours to get an inspector on board the coal ship stranded on the Great Barrier Reef last year.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 10:39 pm
Poor old Toad.
Vote:Maybe he’s sad because it’s looking like a ship wreck and oil spill in sunny Mt Maunganui 40 days before the election still won’t get the Greens out of Opposition.
October 12th, 2011 at 10:57 pm
Well, I will come back onto the thread now there is some more rational debate.
@insider 10:37 pm
Do you (as your blogname might suggest) work for or contract to MNZ perchance?
You seem to be making every excuse possible for their inaction.
The precautionary response then should have been to immediately commandeer vessel(s) with the capacity to offload the oil, as section 305 of the Maritime Transport Act permits MNZ to do, and get such vessel(s) to the scene.
Instead, they pissed around, and sent Naval vessels, a tug, and eventually on 9 October, over 4 days after the need had been identified, the Awanuia which did have the capacity to offload the oil arrived at the scene, but far too late because the weather was starting to pack up by the time she eventually arrived, and she was very soon damaged due to the rough weather and had to go to Tauranga Port for repairs.
Sorry, major fail by MNZ and Joyce as Minister responsible (and Key as the apologist).
Stop trying to spin out of an oil slick, insider – it never works.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 11:08 pm
Toad. So much anger.
Vote:Anyway, you can bitch about JK and SJ all you want, and Wussell can whinge til he’s blue-green in the face. National will be govt for six more years (changing education, lowering taxes, and basically getting stuff done) and your chum Russell will smile and wave and MOU his way into another six years of Opposition.
Classic. It’s not easy being green.
Night folks.
October 12th, 2011 at 11:35 pm
Looks like it’s time for more people than just Toad on this thread to chill the tug out and take five!
Yes oil is a natural thing.
This quantity of one particular fraction of oil, released into the sea in one location within a very short space of time; there’s nothing natural about that. So let’s not pretend this ISN’T a nightmare for the local ecology.
But the difference between what might be done to fix it in an ideal world, and what can realistically be accomplished by courageous men on the high seas in 5+ metre swells is a factor in this. So condemning as incompetent whatever bastards DIDN’T step in with their industrial-grade magic wand and fix this in the first day isn’t very constructive either.
I’m pretty pro-environmental protection. But Jesus I don’t think I’d be too keen to get in close to a giant container ship that is half broken-up, listing seriously to starboard and has containers stacked up six or seven high that might topple over on me at any moment. The birds might have to take their chances for a wee while.
And as for “Think of the real victims – the freight owners”… oh cry me a river. This sort of thing is the reason why everything is insured. You aren’t to blame for this crisis but you SHOULD come out of it alright in the wash. Which is more than can be said for Papamoa beach and the albatrosses…
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 11:36 pm
@ toad I have no involvement with mnz -I just hate vindictive mindless stupidity, and I think your ignorance needs to be continually exposed. Your ad hominem diversion just exposes your shallowness on this issue.
The awanuia was apparantly fully loaded when the incident happened. It needed to debunker so that it had capacity to do the job it was being asked to do. I beleieve it was made available by owner ASAP and left Auckland on Friday but had to go via marsden point. the world does not work on perfect information, it will have taken some time to take advice and Action – that’s the unavoidable nature of decisionmaking in a bureaucracy. You have the luxury of demanding everything with responsibility for nothing.
Vote:October 12th, 2011 at 11:49 pm
One can only hope that by now, SURELY most New Zealanders have been completely awoken from this hopeless attitude of “Why worry about it? This is New Zealand, nothing bad ever happens here. She’ll be right, mate. Number 8 wire mate, number 8 wire. We have all sorts of systems in place. It’s all just common sense really…” that has afflicted every facet of our country for basically the entire time I’ve been in the workforce.
Example 1: Pike River Mine explosions.
Example 2: Fox Glacier ski plane crash.
Example 3: Chch earthquakes.
Example 4: Wreck of giant container ship.
Things go wrong, big things can go wrong too. The force isn’t with us so we actually do need to worry a bit about how we keep stuff safe, it won’t all sort itself out.
/rant
Vote:October 13th, 2011 at 6:59 am
Insider, your 10.37. A sucinct summary of the timeline.
Toad. your 10:57. You are a smart guy. yet why do you push the theme that Awanui should have been comandeered under s305 (and here I agree with you that that power is available to the scene commander) and sent to Tauranga.
I have commented extensively on the practical reasons that awanuia was not dispatched instantly. These are it was doing soemthing else, it had to be dispatched to Whangarei from Auckland to discharge the cargo it carried. awanuia could not discharge at aucklnd as there are no tanks that can hold it’s cargo in auckland.
While awanuia could recieve the bunkers, Systems had to be put in place to discharge the bunkers from the Rena. That took 4 days to do according to my colleagues.
There are unverified suggestions that a specialsit pump had to be brought from australia for the purpose and installed on the Rena and that the pump systems on the awanuia needed to be reconfigured to enable it to receive the bunkers.
What you say is pissing around I say is proper prior preparation.
Vote:October 13th, 2011 at 7:34 am
Thank you Alex for a slice of sanity.
Toad keep up the party line….you are looking sillier by the day.
Vote:October 13th, 2011 at 7:55 am
I’m not sure what’s worse, the Rena disaster or the political vultures screeching in vicious circles.
Our political society is sick. It needs an injection of common sense people with real life experiences – who put priorities on fixed problems, not fixing their own addictions.
Vote:October 13th, 2011 at 7:59 am
Breaking News!
Phil Goff demands to know why Thunderbirds weren’t called earlier
It’s all John Keys fault
Bastard
Vote:October 13th, 2011 at 8:15 am
I see the maritime union is now saying it had called on the government to supply a designated rescue and recovery vessel a year ago and are blaming government inaction for not having such a vessel in place.
Given that the South Island’s largest city was devastated in Sept last year, prior to the Feb devastation, I would think that other things were given priority.
The milking of this event for political gain by the left, assited by a compliant MSM, who are affording soundbites to these people at the drop of a hat, is sickening.
Vote:October 13th, 2011 at 8:40 am
@Lance
It’s not the thunderbirds that were demanded but the starship enterprise to beam the ship to drydock and the oil out of the water.
Vote:October 13th, 2011 at 9:16 am
I heard Dr Norman ( Greens) on the radio this morning saying the Govt. got it wrong because the disaster “was completely avoidable . They missed the window of opportunity”. I challenge Dr Norman to tell us all in detail on radio or TV ( ie. very publically)how what is happening was avoidable. I don’t want to hear generalised political point scoring , I want to hear exact details because his comment is very definite.
Vote:Tell us the details ( As attempted by alex Masterley @ 3.28 12/10 on this blog showing how difficult it would be). Tell us where all the gear , boats, expertise would come from –everything in his master plan. Maybe Toad can pass on the challenge.
October 13th, 2011 at 9:39 am
The Christchurch earthquake and the Reena shipwreck have generated quite different responses.
The people around Tauranga seem to be blaming the government agencies rather than the operators and owners of the ship.
Hardly any anger is directed at the officers who are already charged.
In Christchurch, a much larger environmental disaster (unless humans are excluded from the environment), the people have been too trusting of Government.
But the main difference is the different responses from outsider.
From the first days after the earthquake, people and organisations, both local and from all around the world, offered support in human skills and money. And they still are – right up to Placido’s concert.
There have been so such offers to assist the people affected in Tauranga from outside. There are no fund-raising campaigns or benefactors donations.
I suspect the difference is that the population at large is well aware that the cause of the oil spill etc is not an “act of god or nature” but the result of human error and poor judgement etc.
Consequently people feel little obligation to step in and help because it could reduce the claim on the people who set up the situation where a ship could aground on a reef you can see plainly on Google Earth.
The maritime unions are placing all the blame on the NZ government. I am sure their statements will be presented as evidence in support of the Greek ship owners when it gets to Court.
Vote:October 13th, 2011 at 9:47 am
Owen,
I understand at court yesterday that there was an animated public gallery for the appearance of the master .
There was real concern for the safety of the master and extra police were in attendance for the hearing.
That was also the reason for the name suppression application and he being remanded to a secret location.
I would expect that today’s court hearing will be the same.
Ross12,
Vote:Maybe Toad can answer himself.
October 13th, 2011 at 10:06 am
@alex Masterley /insider:
Thank you both for presenting the facts. Appreciate this is time consuming, but your posts debug the propaganda promulgated by the likes of toad et al – it seems that they are not interested in facts but rather any angle that they can manipulate for political purposes.
@toad:
Vote:Why don’t you stop telling porkies and instead lend your efforts into assisting in some manner – perhaps you could gather a few of your colleagues, travel down to Papamoa Beach and maybe wash a shag or two. Do something useful…
October 13th, 2011 at 10:27 am
Totally agree with Elaycee 10.06am & thanks to alex Masterley /insider/ IH Stewart & Bruce Hamilton who have given considered non emotional facts to the rest of us. Would the rest of NZ be so lucky….they are totally reliant on a sensation seeking media regurgitating crap soundbites supplied courtesy of Labour & the lying Greens.
The MSM do not serve their readers or viewers well.
Vote:October 13th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
Hopefully Insiders chronological account of events as they unfolded will lay to rest the vultures seeking to gain political capital from this maritime disaster.
Vote:Both Labour and the Greens should hang their heads in shame for exploiting this disaster, their own response would have been slow whilst they argued the semantics of the situation.
Originally I was hopeful that the Rena may have been able to be towed off on the next available high tide, with some damage, but that sentiment was dashed when I observed the damage to the keel bulb and tears in the keel. From that moment on I had no elusion that this incident was going to be anything less than catastrophic.
As at 6.00am this morning the Rena is seriously at risk from breaking apart, this being an inevitability that the nation should be bracing themselves for, spillage of fuel, oil, and cargo will be spectacularly dramatic.Also to be anticipated is the sight of this vessel sinking beside the Astrolabe Reef and the consequences that will be associated with that scenario.
The government will have to commit to a long term strategy, to quote Minister Joyce, this will be a marathon and not a sprint.
However one issue to be considered is that in my view the crew were not on the bridge when the Rena ran aground, they were in the mess drinking and singing karaoke while the vessel was on autopilot with incorrect coordinates programmed into the GPS.
October 13th, 2011 at 1:20 pm
Toad?
I’ve seen you about this morning.
Can we have a response? In detail please. What would the greens have done?
I’m curious to see how the greens would tackle the technical issues that I and others have identified.
Thanks,
Vote:October 13th, 2011 at 3:45 pm
No Alex toad will not answer you.
There is no political mileage in admitting that they really do not have any answers, all they have is shifting sand policy.
Their Aussie leader and their Child MP Hughes are shooting from the lip, and the MSM is repeating the baloney soundbites, as to be expected.
I posted this on Whales site this morning. No answer of course.
“Most NZr’s see throught the sensationalism & political lies promulgated by Normans & his Child MP Hughes, and followed on by that tragic figure of Goff, Mr photo opportunity cleaning the oil in good shiny black dress shoes and suit.
I won’t hold my breath waiting for the MSM to call them out over the missed opportunity comments etc, and directly ask, “what is it that you, Mr Normans & your Child MP would have done differently?”
Or “Why in your years of influence with the labour party in Govt, did you not put action plans & resources into place, given your stated policy of increasing coastal shipping, and enhancing the possibility of this type of incident occuring on a more frequent basis?”
Or “Why in your years of influence with the labour party in Govt, did you not insist on a comprehensive procurement program of oil spill recovery vessels & equipment, why did you not threaten to withdraw support, in defence of your stated policy of increased threats to the environment that would come about due to your “Green” parties stated policy of increasing coastal shipping in NZ?”
Opportunist & worthless opposition.
Vote:October 13th, 2011 at 3:51 pm
Lofty,
I wasn’t going to hold my breath waiting for an answer.
Vote:October 13th, 2011 at 6:34 pm
It is interesting to read people like toad argue from a point of ignorance.
Vote:As a good single point to get a better understanding of his stupidity, the main fuel oil has a viscosity similar to molasses especially at the sea temperatures that are around New Zealand. This oil has to be heated to get it to flow so that the fuel can be used by the engines. The heating is usually done by steam generated from waste engine heat. It is usual practice to only heat one fuel tank at a time, especially as they were near port. When it hit the rocks, the engines stopped and no heating supply. Pray tell us how the oil would be pumped out without heating, no matter how big a pipe you have.
October 14th, 2011 at 8:46 am
@alex Masterley 1:20 pm, ChrisM 6:34 pm
As I said much earlier in the thread, I am not an engineer. So I don’t know the answer to the technical questions you and some others are asking me. What I do know is that when the Awanuia finally arrived, it managed to pump some of the heavy fuel oil off the Rena pretty promptly before the weather packed up.
Vote:October 14th, 2011 at 8:55 am
Toad,
That is correct.
The crews were were able to do that because the neccessary preparatory work had been completed in the 4 days available to them.
Vote:October 14th, 2011 at 8:57 am
toad
While we’ve got you here could you have a look at “insider’s” comment October 12th, 2011 at 10:37 pm. While we appreciate that you are not a technical expert much of your criticism was directed to those making the initial assessments & interim decisions.
What would you have done differently?
Vote:October 14th, 2011 at 5:56 pm
Toad – are you sure that it was heavy oil pumped off? There was both diesel and heavy fuel oil on the ship. From what I read, it was only the heavy fuel oil tanks that were holed and this is the stuff coming ashore. I have read that the specialised equipment has arrived and they can now heat the oil to pump it. If there is a diesel leak, then it will usually evaporate.
Vote:It is self-evident that you aren’t an engineer. The stupidity of your comments gives you away.