The MV Rena, which has crashed into the Astrolabe Reef, is at risk of either falling apart or becoming dislodged from the reef. Salvage crews have been pumping oil out of the ship, but their efforts have been hindered by the weather as of late, according to The Los Angeles Times. On October 16, the vessel was threatening to break apart amid waves that were as high as 2.5 meters, The New Zealand Herald reports.
The ship originally hit the reef on October 5, leaking tons of oil that ended up on beaches near the town of Tauranga on New Zealand’s North Island, The Los Angeles Times reports. So far, only 85 tons of oil have been removed, with 1,400 remaining onboard and 350 spilled into the sea.
“I think it’s a case of getting everything off that you can,” Steven Joyce, New Zealand’s transportation minister, told the media outlet. The lean of 21 degrees that the ship has taken on has already resulted in 70 containers being dumped into the sea.
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