Update From: AAP January 19, 2012 9:11AM
Fine weather aids Rena container recovery
A sea crane is removing containers from the stricken cargo vessel Rena which grounded on Astrolabe Reef off the Bay of Plenty, near Tauranga, NZ, in October, carrying 1368 containers.
SALVORS are hoping to take advantage of an expected calm day to remove some more containers from the wrecked ship off the New Zealand coast.
Ten containers were removed from the bow of the Rena yesterday, the first to be removed since the vessel broke in two during a storm earlier this month.
Conditions were due to remain fine off the coast of Tauranga today and salvors Braemar Howells hoped to remove more containers as a result.
Just over 400 containers have now been removed from the ship, which has been stuck on Astrolabe Reef since October. Up to 500 containers were unaccounted for, most of which were thought to be on the Rena.
Divers are continuing to assess the state of the vessel.
The clean-up on land is continuing, with plywood sheeting on Waihi Beach the latest debris to wash ashore.
Clean-up teams are also dealing with old and fresh oil around Rabbit Island and other debris at Mount Maunganui, Matakana and Leisure Island.
Blue penguins found oiled in the past fortnight are continuing to be treated.
