As sea levels rise, Kiribati eyes 6,000 acres in Fiji as new home for 103,000 islanders

9 March 2012 (AP) – Fearing that climate change could wipe out their entire Pacific archipelago, the leaders of Kiribati are considering an unusual backup plan: moving the populace to Fiji. Kiribati President Anote Tong told The Associated Press on Friday that his Cabinet this week endorsed a plan to buy nearly 6,000 acres on […]

Last penguins covered by Rena oil released

17 February 2012 (bigpondnews.com) – The Rena oil spill clean-up has reached another milestone with the last group of birds being released into the wild. Seven little blue penguins oiled after the container ship Rena crashed into Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga, have been released near Motiti Island, Maritime New Zealand says. Hundreds of birds have […]

Video: Cleanup at New Zealand shipwreck

By Arlene Paredes8 February 2012 The ill-fated MV Rena, which brought to New Zealand its worst maritime disaster, has so far cost $130 million, and $28 million of this amount has come from taxpayers, the Bay of Plenty Times reported. However, another episode of bad weather has disrupted the operations to fully assess the damage […]

Video: Time-lapse view of the MV Rena breakup

This three-minute clip presents a lovely summary of the MV Rena salvage operation. The hull breaks in half at 2:30 due to wave action. Contiainer Ship Rena – Timelapse Technorati Tags: Oceania,pollution,coral,oil spill,bird decline,penguin

All hazardous containers removed from Rena’s deck – Environmental effects of chemicals unknown

24 January 2012 (Radio New Zealand) – Salvage work on the Rena reached a milestone on Tuesday with all containers holding hazardous material now removed from the upper decks of the vessel. Thirty-two containers of dangerous goods, including flammable and toxic chemicals, were on board the Rena when it ran aground on Astrolabe Reef on […]

Native forest birds in Hawaii in unprecedented trouble

Contact: University of Hawaiʻi at MānoaLeonard Freed, (808) 956-8655      Rebecca Cann, (808) 956-552119 January 2012 Native birds at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge are in unprecedented trouble, according to a paper recently published in the journal PLoS ONE. The paper, titled “Changes in timing, duration, and symmetry of molt of Hawaiian forest birds,” was authored […]

Video: Rena stench adds to salvors’ challenge – 500 containers remain unaccounted for

January 19 (ONE News) – For the first time salvage crews have removed containers from the front section of the stricken Rena. ONE News got close to the cargo vessel for the first time today since it split in half 12 days ago. Reporter Kim Vinnell said that as well as the pungent smell of […]

Flights confirm Rena wreck unchanged

16 January 2012 (voxy.co.nz) – Aerial observation flights to Rena this morning by Maritime New Zealand and Svitzer salvors confirm no change to the state of the wreck. The crane barge Smit Borneo is now in position near the wreck of the Rena. Swell and sea conditions continue to ease at Astrolabe Reef with more […]

Rena anger grows as safety record questioned

January 15 (Fairfax NZ News) – As cargo from the wrecked Rena continues to wash up on the shoreline, the government faces calls for a royal commission of inquiry into the maritime disaster. The container ship – which ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef off Mt Maunganui in early October – broke up seven days […]

Half of wrecked cargo ship sinking in New Zealand

WELLINGTON, New Zealand – Half of a cargo ship that ran aground on a New Zealand reef three months ago began sinking into the ocean Tuesday, and debris and some oil were drifting from the wreck. The stern section of the Rena began slipping from its previous position on the Astrolabe Reef in the morning […]

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