Rena watch: Oil released from bow

UPDATED 1.10pm:  A small amount of oil was released from the bow of Rena this morning. A light sheen of oil has been observed moving out to sea with the prevailing wind while the number of containers lost overboard remains at 88.

8.30AM UPDATE :Improved weather will allow the offloading of fuel to resume from the stricken container ship Rena grounded on a reef off the Bay of Plenty coast.

A salvage crew has been working 24 hours shifts to remove the highly viscous oil. So far 90 tonnes have been taken off but heavy seas have interrupted the work.

Maritime New Zealand says pumping was suspended at 11.30 last night when swells peaked at 4m and winds hit 35 knots. Another 1300 tones remains on board, though the tanks are thought safe from further leaks unless the fractured 47,000-tonne ship breaks up.

However, the salvage team is continuing with other work on board the vessel, such as cleaning out the engine room, getting more equipment on board and creating more work space.

In other overnight developments:

• No further oil reported on beaches

• No further containers have fallen overboard or been recovered.

• Salvage team is working on container removal options

• Reduced amount of waste collected in beach cleanup.

MNZ salvage unit head Andrew Berry says plans are in place to begin using a booster pump bought in yesterday to speed up the process.

“Every drop of oil that we can get off the Rena is one less drop that potentially can end up in the environment, but given the huge range of variables that can affect operations, it’s going to be a long, slow process," he says.

“The ship is stable and remains in the same condition as it was yesterday – with cracks down each side but is still together in one piece."

More beaches are likely to to be re-opened this morning as there have been no fresh reports of spills.

In a TV One interview, Svitzer Salvage team leader Captain Drew Shannon said the removal of oil was the top priority.

"Our team is taking their time to remove the oil safely to minimise further risk to the environment," he said. "We're continuing steadily with the transfer of oil. We had to first prove the system and now are working to improve that and speed up the removal process.”

However, the team was also working on ways to remove the remaining 1368 containers.

Some 350 volunteers took part in beach cleanups yesterday, collecting 53 tonnes of waste. A total of 744 tonnes of waste has been collected so far.

The Wildlife Centre reports 207 live bords are in care as well as three seals. A total of 1290 dead birds and four animals have been recovered.