Officials believe that more oil will be spilt from the Rena wreck today and it’s a difficult task to try and prevent it.

The warning came yesterday as the frantic salvage operation to remove oil from the ship continued amid news that part of Mt Maunganui’s beach had been reopened to the public.

The 47,000-tonne cargo ship ploughed into the Astrolabe Reef off the coast of Tauranga on October 5, spilling more than 350 tonnes of oil and dozens of containers into the sea.

Fish caught in an oil exclusion zone – between Mt Maunganui and Maketu – can now not be sold for safety reasons and the Government is considering offering support to the commercial fishing sector.

Maritime NZ salvage manager Bruce Anderson said salvors aboard the ship began pumping out the estimated 1300 tonnes of remaining oil last night. The seven salvors had asked permission to stay on the groaning, dangerous ship overnight. Mr Anderson said he asked for and received an evacuation plan from the salvage crew that would allow them to stay on the Rena overnight and all of today to pump oil from the ship.

Weather conditions today are expected to deteriorate with winds and swells expected to increase as rain settles in later.

WW and NZHerald