Stern of cargo ship Rena sinks in rough seas
- 12 years ago
(ROUGH CUT ONLY - NO REPORTER NARRATION)
The stern of stricken container ship Rena, stranded for months since it ran aground last October, sank on Wednesday (April 4) in rough seas, Maritime New Zealand said.
The Rena snapped in half off the coast of Tauranga, New Zealand on January 9, and the two sections of the vessel had been resting on the Astrolabe Reef.
However, an observation flight over the wreck confirmed the stern has disappeared.
Maritime New Zealand said this was due to the ongoing rough seas pounding the weakened structure.
TV New Zealand said the sinking is likely to result in more debris and small amounts of oil being leaked into the sea.
The National Response team had been activated in January when it broke fearing fuel would be released into the sea.
The 47,230-tonne Liberian-flagged Rena has been stranded 22 km (12 miles) off Tauranga on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island since running aground on October 5.
The stern of stricken container ship Rena, stranded for months since it ran aground last October, sank on Wednesday (April 4) in rough seas, Maritime New Zealand said.
The Rena snapped in half off the coast of Tauranga, New Zealand on January 9, and the two sections of the vessel had been resting on the Astrolabe Reef.
However, an observation flight over the wreck confirmed the stern has disappeared.
Maritime New Zealand said this was due to the ongoing rough seas pounding the weakened structure.
TV New Zealand said the sinking is likely to result in more debris and small amounts of oil being leaked into the sea.
The National Response team had been activated in January when it broke fearing fuel would be released into the sea.
The 47,230-tonne Liberian-flagged Rena has been stranded 22 km (12 miles) off Tauranga on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island since running aground on October 5.