The Rena grounding has become known as New Zealand’s worst maritime environmental disaster. Early on the morning of 5 October 2011 the Cargo Vessel Rena struck Otaiti (Astrolabe Reef), approximately 12 nautical miles of the Tauranga coast in the Bay of Plenty, and grounded.
What year did the Rena sink?
On 5 October 2011 the Mediterranean Shipping Company-chartered, Liberian-flagged container ship Rena astonished local mariners by grounding on the clearly marked Astrolabe Reef in the Bay of Plenty while approaching Tauranga Harbour. Three months later the vessel broke in half.
What did the Rena hit?
Early in the morning of 5 October 2011, the cargo vessel Rena struck Astrolabe Reef 12 nautical miles off Tauranga and grounded. The 21-year-old 236-metre Liberian-flagged cargo vessel was en route from Napier to Tauranga and travelling at around 21 knots when it struck.
How much oil spilled from the Rena?
An estimated 25 tonnes of fuel oil leaked out of the ship.
How was the Rena cleaned up?
Figures at the end of February showed that since Rena grounded, Braemar Howells had processed about 4,500 tonnes of waste. About 3,800 tonnes went to landfills, and the remainder was recycled. Beads from Rena that have been washing up on shores at Matakana Island.
What happened to the captain of the Rena?
Photo / Alan Gibson. The captain and navigation officer of container ship Rena have each been jailed for seven months . Mauro Balomaga, the captain of the container ship, and Leonil Relon also lost their name suppression when they appeared in the Tauranga District Court today for sentencing.
What causes the grounding of MV Rena?
A final report into causes and circumstances of the 2011 grounding of the MV Rena containership on New Zealand’s Astrolabe Reef has found that it was the failure of the master and crew to follow proper voyage planning, navigation and watchkeeping practices and the ship manager’s insufficient oversight of vessel’s ...
Where is the Astrolabe Reef?
Astrolabe Reef is near Motiti Island, off the Bay of Plenty coast in New Zealand . The reef, which breaks the water surface at low tide, is a renowned scuba diving spot that drops off to over 40 metres (121 ft) in different parts.
How long did the Rena take to sink?
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How did the Rena oil spill affect the environment?
Toxic oil from the spill will have different levels of long-term and short-term effects on the environment. In the short-term, the oil caused the death of about 2,000 seabirds . It is estimated that 20,000 seabirds were affected.
Is the Rena still there?
Since then, the clean-up operation has seen lots of debris removed from the wreck – but large parts of the Rena still remain on the ocean floor . The Rena wreck is now managed by the Astrolabe Community Trust, which took over responsibility for the future of the wreck after the initial clean up.
Who owns motiti Island?
The Wills family , who own some of the southern end of Motiti, certainly aren’t in any hurry to sell up. The family arrived 33 years ago after a long-time landowner sold a large chunk of the island.
Who was driving the Rena?
SENTENCED: The Rena’s navigating officer, Leonil Relon (left) and captain Mauro Balomaga in the dock at the Tauranga District Court. The men responsible for causing New Zealand’s worst maritime environmental disaster by grounding the Rena off Tauranga’s coast have been sentenced to seven months in jail.
What is Otaiti?
Otaiti (Astrolabe Reef) was a pataka and a gateway to the gods . ... The reef was also significant as a navigational point for those travelling to and from Hawaiki.
When was the astrolabe invented?
Astrolabes have been traced to the 6th century , and they appear to have come into wide use from the early Middle Ages in Europe and the Islamic world. By about the mid-15th century, astrolabes were adopted by mariners and used in celestial navigation. The so-called mariner’s astrolabe was later supplanted by sextants.
How was a mariner’s astrolabe used? The instrument was used to help determine the ship’s latitude from the height of the Pole Star or of the sun . At night, the Pole Star was sighted directly through small pinholes in the two vanes mounted on the pivoting alidade or rule.
