Grounded containership, Rena, poses new Hazmat threat

The latest saga in the grounding of the cargo vessel, Rena, has the government of New Zealand taking emergency actions. 

According to Maritime New Zealand, the container ship came apart as two heavy swells hit it last weekend on the reef off the New Zealand port of Tauranga.

It had been grounded there since last October.

The Liberian-flag Rena, which has a capacity of 3,361 20-foot equivalent container units, is owned by Costamare Shipping and chartered by Mediterranean Shipping

So-called “Flags of Convenience” (FOCs) have been linked to a wide range of international crime, terrorism, and human rights violations. Now, international attention is being paid to the environmental risk these vessels pose.

As reported here last fall, The Maritime Union of New Zealand was contending that the responsibility for the Rena disaster lies with Government and authorities as much as with individual crew members.

Maritime Union of New Zealand General Secretary Joe Fleetwood said the arrest of the master of the Rena on serious charges should not deflect attention away from the greater responsibility for the disaster.

Authorities are now also on high alert for oil and hazardous chemical spills. With as many as 300 containers lost so far, the greatest concern is many may have held toxic cargo. Spokesmen said creolite from the Bluff aluminum smelter were among the goods being transported.