Volunteer coordinator for the Rena oil spill clean up, Pim de Monchy, has called for more volunteers to respond to requests for assistance after old oil resurfaced along Papamoa beach yesterday.
“We have several volunteer events planned for tomorrow and over the weekend and I want to encourage registered volunteers from across the Bay of Plenty and beyond to come and help clean the beaches,” says Mr de Monchy
"If people have a day up their sleeves we would really appreciate their assistance."
“Because very little oil has leaked from the Rena, some people may be under the impression they aren’t needed. However old oil is resurfacing along the coast from Mount Maunganui to Papamoa and we want volunteers to help clean it up.”
Maritime New Zealand salvage unit manager Kenny Crawford says a total of 808 tonnes of oil has been taken off the Rena and pumped onto the Awanuia.
Salvors have a low level of suction in the 'Number 5 port' tank, which is "good news". A Cofferdam is being installed in what is a "big effort by salvors to get five starboard opened up".
Today it took eight hours to get a pump through five bays, only 10 metres in distance, because the pump is heavy, the pipe is longer and full of oil.
Maritime New Zealand salvage independent advisor John Walker says it is a dark, dirty, listing environment salvors are working in. Pipework has to be done underwater. Mr Walker says yesterday a diver received a mild electric shock.
National on-scene commander Nick Quinn says they are now looking to bring in machinery for the shoreline recovery process. Sand-sifters, tractors and other machinery that can push sand from the mid-water to low-water mark will be trialled in an effort to assist in natural dispersion.
Three more blue penguins arrived yesterday at the wildlife centre where currently 385 animals are housed since being affected by the Rena oil spill grounding on Tauranga’s Astrolabe Reef three weeks ago.
Long-term penguin enclosures are being built to house the birds until it is safe to release them back into the wild.
Alternate Wildlife Centre manager Curt Clumpner says New Zealand’s response is one of the quickest he has seen. Mr Clumpner has worked on many oil spills since the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster and is one of seven international experts working at the wildlife centre.
“The wildlife response centre was set up and ready to clean birds within a day of the grounding,” he says. “The team at Massey University have been planning for this for years and they have been constantly updating their training.”
“It’s especially impressive given that New Zealand hasn’t had a major oil spill before.”
Massey University specialists lead the National Oiled Wildlife Response Team and are contracted to Maritime New Zealand.
Vets and specialists in the network arrived from throughout the country.
Mike Ziccardi, Director of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network at UC Davis University in California, says the focus is on getting the job done with none of the political wrangling that has marred some clean up efforts in the USA.
“As soon as the Rena grounded Kerri Morgan from the NOWRC emailed her international networks to check everyone’s availability,” says Dr Ziccardi. “That’s the first time I’ve seen that happen – a testament to the sense of co-operation here. The response really has been fantastic.”
3 News