Govt should have had response vessel - Greens

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Wed, 12 Oct 2011 6:21p.m.

The Government should have invested in a specialised response ship like this one, the Greens and the Maritime Union say

The Government should have invested in a specialised response ship like this one, the Greens and the Maritime Union say

By Rachel Tiffen

The Maritime Union and the Green Party are criticising the Government for not engaging an emergency response vessel when it had the chance over a year ago.

Former energy minister Gerry Brownlee told the Maritime Union last August that the issue needed "serious consideration", but no action was taken.

In a letter sent 14 months ago – when the Government was reviewing its emergency response system after the Gulf of Mexico disaster – Mr Brownlee agreed that we needed a specialised boat.

“We need to give serious consideration to having a vessel of this type 24/7 as part of a fast response in the event of any such emergencies occurring offshore in the future,” the letter read.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce says while “these matters are raised from time to time” he doubts the vessel would have had any “significant impact” on the situation.

However Green Party marine spokesperson Gareth Hughes says Government “needs to come clean why we don't have such a vessel, given we are oil drilling at the moment”.

Mr Joyce says it isn’t the availability of response vessels that has been the issue, but “trying to find ways of getting oil off the ship… analysing the state of damage to the ship, getting down below the waterline”.

So while the government recognised an oil spill here was a high possibility and started planning to deal with one, it's still unclear how much further they got than planning.

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Comments

15 Oct 2011 05:18p.m.

atrout wrote:

Good on ya Lise.. you are the only one who has any grasp on how messed up we have let this country become. We act like sheep and just let the pollies and the bureaucrats do exactly what suit them. These idiots are supposed to be public servants- instead they serve themselves and no one else. Time for a change.

13 Oct 2011 04:33p.m.

Ilse wrote:

I find it unbelievable that we have become the type of people who will start benebashing each other when the ones that caused the tragedy get away scot free again. Was a "pan-pan" message sent? Was the radio frequency being monitored? If not, why not? Who decided to stop such maritime rules being followed? Who did not react when they should have? These are the questions people, not among ourselves, but addressed to those who suck the front tit in this country. Leave those people already on the hind tit out of this, it is not their fault. Those who f---cked up must fix up - that is the rule of the world we should adhere to, not fall for the idea that they have of dividing us so that they can conquer again, this is their plan. Why are there no pilot boats any more when you have such a hazard so close to the harbour entrance? There are hundreds of relevant questions waiting to be asked of the real culprits as soon as they are identified. I wish I could be there when they are identified and before the obfuscation begins. We live in a country where the powers that be have evolved into an uber-beureaucracy that excells in passing the buck. This allows pollies like Johnboy Key and his jolly mateys to rule this little sandpit of ours just the same as every bully in history has ruled every kindie sandpit in history. It is time people - lets take back our country before we forget how to spell clean or green

13 Oct 2011 04:04p.m.

kate wrote:

the comments posted here have no relavence to the point on this particular article. the arguement is whether the government should have or should have NOT invested in an emergency response vessel. A review of the emergency response systems had taken place after the disaster in the gulf of mexico (14months ago) raised the issue of having response vessels and and other measures to handle such situations.
the transport minister even admits that the issue of the need to have such unit(s) has come up more than once , quote " these matters come up from time to time" . Then going on to say he doubts the emergency vessels would have had no significant impact. His statement about not having a significant impact is just that; a statement with no factual evidence to support that that would be the case.

13 Oct 2011 12:39p.m.

huh? wrote:

Huh, a bonus on top of the benefit for cleaning up a government and industry stuff up? They should hire beneficiaries in the area to do it at a decent wage.

13 Oct 2011 12:11p.m.

kiely wrote:

@ the bunch of toffee nose idiots who think that we shud shove the beneficiaries into clean up a rich companys screw up- do you see the non existent link? there is none-it will be cleaned up by the good nature of the volunteers those that live on the beach and those that love the beach dont make it a mandatory slave labour for the poor enough already few...

13 Oct 2011 12:11p.m.

kiely wrote:

@ the bunch of toffee nose idiots who think that we shud shove the beneficiaries into clean up a rich companys screw up- do you see the non existent link? there is none-it will be cleaned up by the good nature of the volunteers those that live on the beach and those that love the beach dont make it a mandatory slave labour for the poor enough already few...

12 Oct 2011 10:15p.m.

katrina wrote:

Good idea Stuart.

12 Oct 2011 10:05p.m.

Bob wrote:

@Stuart Malcolm. Yes i also think it is a good idea having benefisheries do the clean up, however i completely disagree with those on the Dole receiving a bonus for it. they get money for nothing as it is, why should they be paid to clean up the mess when Jo Public down the road works all week and then spends his/her spare time after work and in the weekends cleaning the beach for free? All those on the unemployment benefit in the BOP should be told that if they want their benefit this fortnight then they have to go and pick up some oil. Seems like a wise way to spend some tax payers dollars??? just my opinion though.

12 Oct 2011 08:48p.m.

Brett wrote:

I think we should all be out there helping out. Bad enough our inland streams are poopy brown and lakes are poop then we get all this black crap wash up on shore and as usual there's no system in place to prevent any of this.

12 Oct 2011 08:34p.m.

stuart malcolm wrote:

im wandering if it would be a gud idea to get sum people who want to go help soak/pick-up dat sludgie oil and watever else happens to come floating ashore im thinking people on the dole and maybe those who do go get a wee bonus in there dole and well tis only an idea,thought who else thinks dat could be an idea