Relieved officials were narrowly spared a repeat of the Rena disaster when a second container ship ran aground at Mt Maunganui yesterday. No oil leaked into the sea.
The grounding of the 133m MV Schelde Trader in the morning came three weeks after the MV Rena slammed into Astrolabe Reef 22km away, where the container ship remains stricken.
Yesterday's incident - blamed on a mechanical failure that cut the ship's power and sent it heading towards the base of Mt Maunganui without steering controls - has sparked fresh calls by the Maori Party and the Greens for wider investigations into the shipping industry.
"It's fantastic to hear there's been no oil spilt, there are no injuries and that it was a comparatively minor incident, but it does raise some serious concerns with two accidents in around a month's time at New Zealand's busiest port," Green MP Gareth Hughes said.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council spokesman Eddie Grogan said no oil leaked from the Schelde Trader and it appeared the ship had escaped with minor damage.
The vessel, which was leaving for Noumea when it struck North West Rock at 10.35am, lay grounded for about 20 minutes before it was refloated and towed back into port.
