Rena Container Ship Aground Astrolabe Reef - with astro analysis

LATEST
October 2015
Followers of the Rena saga are recommended to read about factors involved in the ill-fated cargo ship El Faro which is presumed sunk on October 1st 2015

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 A powerful energy pattern was in play at the time of the container ship Rena running aground on Astrolabe Reef, off Tauranga, New Zealand at 2.20am on October 5 2011.

AN ONGOING POST COVERING THE RENA
 CONTAINER SHIP INCIDENT
Latest information is presented first
Scroll to end for the original material

LOC clickable graphic shows current status of Rena on Astrolabe Reef Jan 10 2012

DEC 2012 aerial view. Barge Resolve on site -source Maritime NZ. click to enlarge

September 2015

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council are offering a compensation deal for Daina Shipping to pay as acknowledement of ongoing metal and chemical contamination risks from the remaining Rena wreckage on the reef and any further recovery costs. 
September 2015 saw another maritime wreck in the news.
The ill-fated MV Tuhoe, first launched in April 1919 foundered on the South Island's Waimakariri sandbar on Sept 27 [repeating the same drama that happened in June 1963 -except then, the boat was refloated]

 This time the chainsaws are at work deconstructing and salvaging everything possible, a tragic outcome considering $200,000 worth of lovingly crafted restoration work had just been completed and the Tuhoe was being taken back to Kaiapoi River, from the dry dock in Lyttelton, via the dreaded Waimakariri.

Maritime mishaps were written in the stars when the Tuhoe first entered the water in 1919 so it comes as no surprise that this catalogue of incidents filled its near century of exciting misadventures, interspersed with a bit of calm -documented up to 1983 courtesy of the NZ Coastal Shipping website

There's a message there even if you're not practised in reading the omens

June 2014
Remnant sections of Rena remain on Astrolabe Reef and the owners want it to stay

March 2014
On March 13 the accommodation section is finally taken ashore -report & video
Recent efforts have been difficult, dangerous and full of delays -further work on dismantling the ship has involved cutting out the accommodation section
The process began on March 4 to fully remove this section - video
Older Rena salvage image Gallery

November 21 2013
The extended salvage operation is still in progress.
One of the most lengthy, tricky and costly ship salvage jobs in history is dragging in the Bay of Plenty, as the team working on the wrecked container ship Rena prepare to cut and remove the vessel's submerged accommodation block next month.
The block is a large feature of the sunken stern section, which lies wedged at a 55 degree angle to starboard down to a depth of 65 metres on the eastern side of Astrolabe Reef, off the Tauranga coast. - Herald report

March 6 2013
Order to stay away from incident zone as dozens of vessels already in 2013 have entered the off limits area - report


February18 2013
Salvors hope to now leave wreck as is - full report
Rena picture gallery from Maritime NZ


January 24 2013
News summaries #1 & #2 including contamination concerns re the wreck and cargo 

By noon Jan 10 the bridge goes down -Maritime NZ  - for more pix

Martime NZ pic Jan 8 -Rena split in 2

Maritime NZ pic: Jan 8 2012 -Rena split

Maritime NZ pic April 4 before stern sinks

MNZ pic -April 4  strong swells swamp the stern

MNZ pic -By 4pm April 4,   the stern is under water, a small metal fragment indicating the last descent

 

Scroll to the end of this document for the link to the planetary analysis of the grounding event and the implications for the recovery process

2012 log entries start - in reverse time 

June 14 2012

• Salvage has continued in the past two months & the contracted companies Svitzer & Smit have completed phase one of the work, removing all accessible containers -though 18  remain on board. Tenders are open for phase two - the removal of the hull from the reef which is expected to be left until August 2012, to avoid any extreme winter weather conditions -  full report
• Maritime NZ continues incident reports under Tauranga Incident online entries
•  
• April 6 2012   Updated report on the considerable amount of debris and spilt cargo washing up on east coast beaches  - report
•  
• April 4 2012  By 4pm the stern of the Rena was observed to have slipped off the reef, subsequent to very rough seas with swells of 8-10m in the region of the wreck. Further oil and debris are expected to be discharged into local waters
• April 2 2012 
• Pacific tropical cyclone sourced winds are set to raise big swells of 7-8 metres in the bay where Rena remains on Astrolabe Reef. The ship, split in two, has lingered more than 6 months at the site of its impact.  Oil continues to leak due to remaining stores aboard - full update
• March 22 2012 After a less dramatic phase over recent weeks, current stormy conditions and big sea swells have resulted in more containers lost overboard, the free stern section shifting on the reef and a visible oil slick Less than half of the container cargo has been removed since the 2011 incident and tonnes of heavy fuel oil are still being salvaged. REPORT
•  
• Jan 30  A high powered chopper airlifts cargo, debris & smashed containers
• - report
• January 27
• Weather interruptions make container salvage slow once again. Visit Maritime NZ for Press Releases
• January 21
• With blog visitor interest high in shipping dramas, here are links to my extensive post on the Costa Concordia and a recent Shipping News round-up
• January 18
• Stuck, slow and delayed -the perpetual themes hold sway with the Rena salvage.
  The bow is said to be firmly on the reef as salvors contemplate the difficulties in progressing beyond the continually interrupted container removal.  REPORT
• January 12 2012
• A further storm front with 5 metre swells and 35 knot winds is expected to impact the Rena on Friday 13. Potential for the bow section to shift and sink is there.
• Rough sea swells causing further delay in salvors assessing Rena for the next stage of recovery. REPORT
• January 11 2012
• Bay of Plenty beaches are being cleared of extensive cargo debris & containers
• Legal implications of the wreck recovery considered -REPORT
• Impact on recreational divers and further salvage have worsened - report
• Current environmental impact report
• January 10 2012
• Rena's stern is now submerged and sinking -  REPORT
• The stern of Rena is reported to be slipping off the reef after continual battering by swells
• Further prior details
• January 9 2012
• Oil, containers and debris reaches beaches while Rena though split remains still lodged on the reef.
• Waihi Beach, 60kms north of Rena, cordoned off. 
• Herald report
• Radio NZ report
• 
  
• January 8 2012
• Up to 300 containers may have come off Rena into the sea overnight - report
• Dramatic MNZ video of Rena in 2 pieces today - view here
• Rena is reported to have severed into two pieces which each section facing different directions and first reported at 30 metres apart, though the bow section is still stuck on the reef, following swells up to 7 metres overnight. More containers lost.  - More detail NZHerald       Initial Report
• January 5 2012
• Salvors are working at speed today to recover containers before forecast 7 metre sea swells arrive on Saturday afternoon, Jan 7. The fragile Rena will face the worst conditions yet seen
• January 2 2012
• After the fourth significant storm, Rena has suffered further fracturing damage to her split hull and is virtually in two pieces, though firmly wedged on the reef - full story

LOC image Dec 14:   Smit Borneo alongside Rena

Maitime NZ pic showing stern area cleared of containers by Nov 24

Marime NZ pic with Sea Tow 60 astern Rena Nov 18 for container removal

Nov 4 Starboard at high tide -      Maritime NZ image


2011 entries - in reverse time

DEC 30 2011  There have been more interruptions due to bad weather and less recovery work during the past week
DEC 22      Steady recovery work now proceeding, but damage has worsened - report
DEC 19     Container removal proceeded during Dec 17-18 - full report
Meanwhile the Russian fishing boat Sparta is stuck in Antarctic waters due to being holed by an iceberg - "Sparta struck a submerged iceberg east of the Ross Sea about 3am Friday, " news story
DEC 16
Stormy weather has interrupted salvage for several days. Two more containers lost overboard FULL REPORT
DEC 13
Now its the crane on the barge Smit Borneo causing problems
DEC 12
Wild weather -wind & swells has caused another suspension in container removal.  Beach clean ups  regularly continue to focus on oil residue removal,  9 weeks after the initial grounding.
Natural forces have conspired to make this a very drawn out recovery, yet Rena has remained stuck, with no significant change in position, on the Astrolabe Reef.
DEC 10
The crane barge Smit Borneo has made significant progress on Friday 9th removing containers. An oil slick remains around Rena
DEC 8
Delay continues to be the keyword in this salvage. For the past week container recovery has been stalled due to rough weather. 1100 containers aboard still. More oil leaking  - REPORT
DEC 4
 Oil has leaked from Rena in rough sea swells
DEC 3
 Maritime NZ has provided a range of statistics related to the Rena recovery. Dec 1st bulletin  gives total of 166 containers removed ( -out of 1368 -though 25 of estimated 867 lost overboard, now recovered). High sea swell delays salvage.
NOV 25
Salvage is on hold till weather settles. No status change.
NOV 24
Perigee Moon, New Moon partial eclipse and Moon in maximum south declination

23-26 November = turbulent forces. Strong winds and boiling seas in the Rena zone

make this stage of the operation rather critical -  bulletin
NOV 17
Good progress today on container removal
From this point updates will be intermittent based on significant new developments.
NOV 15
Another delay -strong sea swells have interfered with the first attempt to remove containers. Crane barge Sea Tow 60 is being moved to the port side of Rena

NOV 14
Salvors confirm the recovery of containers will be slow and dangerous  - details
NOV 13
60 tonnes of oil remain in the #5 starboard tank, along with other oil in trapped areas of the ship.  Prior reports of full recovery were incorrect.
NOV 12
The process has been initiated to begin container removal as soon as possible. Oil pumping is at its final stages.
The Antipodean Mariner has been gagged - blog site run by a crew member of the Go Canopus has been barred from sending updates - but the site is still up   revealing insider information
and this Herald report available as backup


NOV 11
Steady progress today in heavy fuel oil oil recovery

NOV 10
Since 6pm  Nov 9, slow progress has been made pumping oil from the final heavy oil tank

NOV 9
 MNZ Bulletin reveals extent of ongoing beach cleanup. 

Further delays and complications may be resolved with a successful pumping commencing today.

LOC graphic re seawater float of heavy fuel oil

LOC grapic issued Nov 9 showing damaged area

Nov 8    Slow progress re fitting pumps. Once started, the pumping of the final starboard tank is expected to take 100 hours.


Nov 7  Forces have been withstood by Rena in the past few days, allowing salvors to resume last stage preparation, with intermittent setbacks, re the last pumping phase.
MNZ morning bulletin, Nov 7
Michelle Buchanan spiritual counsellor gives her perspective on helping with the Rena crisis

Nov 6  Over the past month, Bay of Plenty  oil spill cleanup events have reached the 1,000 milestone, with 13,000 volunteer hours involved, and 7800 volunteers. Salvors are focussed on removing various oil types already transferred to the engine room tank. Now pumping seawater into the last heavy oil tank so the oil will rise for pumping. A gas leak caused a stoppage today.
Nov 5   The Rena crisis has reached a one month milestone. The final tank of heavy fuel oil is yet to be pumped off. The initial estimate of Maritime NZ was a 40 hr task to pump the fuel oil off Rena.
Nov 4  Interior damage related to a coffer dam has led salvors to plan a hot tap of the final heavy oil tank - full bulletin  Buckling of the stern end is worsening


Nov 3 Improving weather means salvors are doing more preparatory work before final oil salvage. Oil residue remains in the sea and on beaches
Salvors are pondering a range of scenarios as the intransigent Rena remains severely damaged whilst firmly stuck on the reef. Improved weather assists in a renewed effort to pump remaining oil.    FULL ARTICLE
Nov 2   Salvors aboard Rena need to determine in more detail the ship's status. Weather still proving to be an interference to the final stages of pumping oil
Rena survived intact during overnight rough conditions but no status report is available due to weather including fog, preventing an aerial inspection.
Nov 1 - "The situation is looking increasingly precarious and we are preparing for the worst,"says MNZ salvor.
Further damage overnight has been reported. Work remains on hold.
OCTOBER 31  Salvors expecting biggest swells yet since Rena grounded. Work now suspended.  Weather in the Bay of Plenty is expected to create rough conditions around the Rena from Tuesday. A high swell will be developing Tues-Weds 
Metservice says:
"recovery operations on the stricken ship Rena may become challenging for a time on Tuesday, with northeast winds rising to gale or near gale and waves increasing in size." 
. Oil clean up work continues at Papamoa and Maketu beaches as well as Matakana Island. Volunteer fatigue is setting in. Oil leaks involve heavy fuel oil as well as hydraulic fluid. Draining of the remaining starboard heavy fuel tank, containing over 300 tonnes, requires a difficult multi-stage process which is at the early stages.

Graphic of Rena on Astrolabe Reef -   image credit LOC
CLICK TO ENLARGE

 ANTIQUE ASTROLABE    all images are clickable to enlarge

Fascinating too that the astrolabe is an ancient navigational tool utilizing astronomical positions - as shown in this engraved example above.
In this event the ancient and modern worlds, literally, have collided.
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October 30 -  More oil has reached Papamoa Beach.  58 containers still unaccounted for. Weather and tides made it dangerous to continue access efforts this afternoon regarding the final oil tank on Rena  - full bulletin
A further earthquake in the Bay of Plenty, M4 close to shore 

Purple dot = M4 quake Oct 30. Rena position is close to top of frame,north of Motiti Island
Image Credit: GNS Science

October 29 Progress was halted by the discovery of water  being pumped instead of oil. More volunteer labour needed to continue beach cleaning. Vandals yesterday stole anchors from an estuary boom -  full MNZ bulletin


October 27  Favourable weather has permitted steady progress in oil recovery though the last spill could see oil reach Coromandel... more


October 25 The spill of up to 10 tonnes of oil on Saturday is expected to reach the ecologically sensitive Mayor island, north of Tauranga, on Thursday

October 23. Another significant seafloor quake in the Bay of Plenty

Reported by Geonet NZ                                

After a hiatus of 11 days, a renewed spill event has occurred, with up to 10 tonnes of oil leaking overnight 


October 22 At 6.57a.m. a M7.4 quake in the Kermadec volcanic chain, east of Raoul Island. The geology of the Kermadec Arc is portrayed in this NOAA graphic shows the close proximity of the bunch of submarine volcanic peaks, starting with Clark  and Tangaroa, to the Bay of Plenty.
This quake registered strongly in the north island central volcanic zone.

NOAA map  -Wikimedia Commons
CLICK TO ENLARGE

October 21: After slow progress today, salvors hope a window of several fine days into next week will improve their level of success, but  New Moon at Perigee on 26th, Moon at maximum south declination on 29th will bring complicating factors, aggravated by additional problematic forces.  Map issued to visualise the Rena crisis response. Motiti Island faces a major environmental impact.
October 20   Pumping of oil off Rena resumed after mid-day today. Soon after, a booster pump failed, requiring a replacement. Wind and swells all day yesterday curtailed any salvage efforts. This continues the theme of impediments and obstacles observed from Day One. Further analysis points to October 29 as a critical day in the crisis.
October 19 Motiti Island locals showed Green Party Metiria Turei yesterday the effects on local sea life. She reports: " Under the surface kina are blackened and dead. Crayfish are found smothered in oil and dead. Under the surface, the fish and shellfish are polluted and cannot be eaten." The island is the closest point of habitation to the reef and oil spill.
Protestors in Tauranga show their position re the Rena spill. Oil from the spill has now reached Waihau Bay 130 kilometres away and near Te Kaha.  A container has been reported at Te Araroa, East Cape.
October 18   Tugs Waka Kume and Swiber Torunn  are in the Rena zone.  Slow pace & delays continue to be keywords relating to the Rena incident. The ship's deterioration is proceeding slowly but a sudden change is possible. Dates that could figure in this are October 19 and 26.    Latest Maritime NZ report.
October 17   Is the death knell for Rena close at hand ? - as befell the Nellie on Astrolabe Reef in 1878 -   adverse weather sets in over several days to come. The obstacles, difficult and slow conditions are all indicated in the energy pattern set at the time of the initial stranding.
Maritime NZ report
October 15   A marine risk expert claims the grounding of the Rena was a deliberate act - full story Again the condition of the Rena is curtailing salvage efforts: damage is worse than previously thought -full article. The politics of offshore oil drilling in NZ are now firmly on the table. Public perception of the official response is damning and likely to have consequences for the governing National Party in the coming general election, some 6 weeks away.
Thousands of locals have enrolled as volunteers in the beach cleanup. The ship is "grinding and groaning". Around half of the 80 overboard containers are missing.  - full report
After substantial cleanup efforts, the beach contamination is in suspension due to wind changes directing the oil contamination back to sea. Bad weather expected next week is likely to pose more significant risks.

Svitzer Salvage pic from Rena's bridge taken Oct 23 showing degree of list

A salvage expert is lowered onto Rena Oct 13 photo supplied:  NZ Defence Force

October 14  Rena is on a 21 degree list; 1100 dead birds; salvage team attempting a dangerous recovery  of the oil. Winds are forecast to increase over the coming weekend. The indicators do not favour optimism nor risk taking.

21 degrees off vertical is the lean or list of Rena on October 14

Oct 13 The ship remains gashed but intact on the reef, with sea and wind much less turbulent. 88 containers have gone overboard - including plastic recyclables, meat, timber, milk powder and the chemical alkyl sulfonic acid. Damaged and opened containers have come ashore along with scattered goods. The oil contamination is the worst yet . Mainly birds, but also penguins and seals have been found dead, smothered in the tar-like oil.


The site was the scene of a similar maritime event in the 1870's

A compilation of Rena political cartoons and doco photos -including this one looking suspiciously like John Key, NZ Prime Minister, in his mansion pool, Parnell Auckland

Oct 12
A lengthy vertical gash in the hull has been sighted 
Maritime NZ says the Rena's bow is still stuck fast on rocks, but the stern is being swung about by huge swells, stressing the ship's structure. - according to TVNZ

Stress fractures have been identified in the ship - raising the risk of a complete breakup and sinking.
The inevitable has happened, with Full Moon turbulence affecting tide and weather. The first batch of 70 containers slipping overboard have been photographed from naval frigate Endeavour.
Considerably more oil has leaked. Ship's captain has been arrested & charged. Greek owners to pay (!?)
High public interest in this locally & globally. This website attracting searches with the following key phrases -mainly about Rena :

A mayday call due to bad weather sees crew rescued Tuesday Oct 11, 6 days after the grounding.
"The oil spill from Rena has become New Zealand's most significant maritime environmental disaster, the Government says." -TVNZ report

Screenshot from Marine Traffic site - updated plotting of vessel movements off Tauranga

Locals are left wondering where the support is as they hand-pick oil deposits at Mt Maunganui beach.

With the waxing phase in process for the Full Moon on Weds October 12, the recovery, salvage and remedial work required is enormous in the context of greater tidal forces over several days and anticipated adverse weather conditions. The wind is forecast to increase on Monday 10th.
The Moon will be in the strong equatorial zone on Monday 10th, joining Uranus at 0 degrees declination, increasing the turbulent potentials.
This graphic from Google Earth shows a M4.6 undersea quake (yellow dot) which occurred west of the grounding site - on the same day  Oct 5 - but at the end of the evening. Interesting co-incidence? Or was there some precursor interference in play when the ship mysteriously hit the reef? ( 7.4kms N of Motiti Island.)

October 9. A further quake has occurred in the Bay of Plenty. A M5.2 to the east of the salvage zone, at 50kms deep, 7am Sunday, which also registered across the central North Island volcanic zone.

GNS map shows seafloor location M5.2. on the eastern Bay of Plenty.  The salvage site, near Motiti Island is to the west, north of Te Puke on the map

Gale force winds expected as bad weather set to impact Bay of Plenty Monday 10th Oct
Graphics & info from the NZ Herald

Rena Container Ship Aground Astrolabe Reef

October 5 2011:  The container ship Rena (Liberia flagged) is stuck on Astrolabe Reef, some 22kms off the mainland at Tauranga, New Zealand. The event is timed at 2.20am.

The analysis of conditions pertaining to this event looks extremely serious. Furthermore the process is likely to be beset by delays, impediments and frustration - as experienced in the Pike River Mine and Christchurch quakes which contained similar prevailing influences.
In response to the event, an astro-analysis was compiled on the day of the initial event, October 5 2011.
News reports continue to affirm conclusions reached in that reading of the event indicators.

For Astro-analysis using a planetary chart for the time of the Rena grounding on Astrolabe Reef: 
The full document can be found here along with a photo gallery.

Analysis using the planetary positions and patterns shows the dominant themes permeating this event plus the factors that have the potential to create a disastrous outcome for the local maritime environment.