Tauranga, New Zealand, 2012
At 2:20am on Wednesday, 5 October 2011, the Rena ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef on its way from Napier to Tauranga. The ship was carrying 1,368 containers, 1,700 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and 200 tonnes of marine diesel. 3 months later, the Rena broke in half in heavy seas and the stern section sunk almost completely.
For the next 6 months, I became an independent observer on behalf of salvage company Smit and Svitzer. To be part of such a massive maritime event was a thrill and I was like a kid in a candy store. All the ingredients were there for a boy’s own adventure – the shipwreck, the cranes, the barges, the helicopters, the noise and of course, over a thousand containers. The crane couldn’t access all sections of the wreck so the containers had to be cut into 1 and 2 ton pieces and airlifted off by chopper.
Added to that were the complex legal and communication issues. It was like a spider’s web. Who’s property was it? Who had to pay for it? It was fascinating and the logistics were mind-boggling. If you’ve got a shipwreck and you need some assistance, then I’m your man.
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