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Ship hit Astrolabe Reef, Tauranga


Grinna

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And the capt has been arrested.

F*ck that, now we are paying for his accommodation, food and entertainment as well. Take his passport off him (or put on an ankle bracelet) then give him a bucket and spade like everyone else and tell him to get busy.

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And the capt has been arrested.

F*ck that, now we are paying for his accommodation, food and entertainment as well. Take his passport off him (or put on an ankle bracelet) then give him a bucket and spade like everyone else and tell him to get busy.

 

Leave him and the crew on the ship. Don't rescue the pricks, thats for sure.

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The crew too? That'd be unfair don't you think? Most of them are just as much a victim as they are simply there doing as they're told - but I do agree with anyone who is responsible being tarred and feathered - now where to get some tar...

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The crew too? That'd be unfair don't you think? Most of them are just as much a victim as they are simply there doing as they're told - but I do agree with anyone who is responsible being tarred and feathered - now where to get some tar...

 

OK, fine. The skipper, the navigator and the helmsman.

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And the 3rd officer or officer of the watch. (suspect it was the 3rd at that time of night)

IN all honesty, this type of sh*t just can't happen if even 1 of the 3 on the bridge was even just awake!

f&^#(n muppets, throw em to a few of the east coast commercial fishermen I say!!!! Problem solved permanently!

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now the crew will seek refugee status, apply for taxpayer funded lawyers to get citizen ship, while they wait 2 years they will apply for their famillies to come over, and once they have citizen ship

 

 

..... they will move to Sydney

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More from the Marina, don't fancy going to Whangamata in the big seas.

 

"UPDATE ON OIL SPILL ENTERING TAURANGA HARBOUR

 

Our advice to boat owners is to go to your vessel and close all sea cocks including refrigeration because if the oil gets into your intakes it can travel to your heat exchanges and cooling system which will cause overheating.

 

Unfortunately the Hardstand is full and we are unable to remove any vessels from the water, we suggest that if your vessel is able to be lifted at the Dry Stack and you would like to remove it from the water phone 0800 Dry Stack (0800 379 7822) or if it is trailerable put it on your trailer.

 

We are currently seeking advice from the paint manufacturers regarding what if any effect the oil will have on your vessels paint.

 

The Marina Staff are currently working through ways of isolating the Marina from the oil if it should enter the Harbour. One of these measures will be oil booming off the entrance which might restrict access to the marina especially on outgoing tides. We are also looking at ways of encapsulating the breakwater to stop any surface oil entering the Marina. We will keep you updated on this.

 

NAVIGATION HAZARD

 

As of this morning we can confirm that 70 containers have come off Rena. This creates a navigation hazard to all boaties so therefore use of pleasure vessels should be restricted to a minimum.

 

The Harbourmaster has also requested that vessels who are travelling parallel to Mount Maunganui Wharf do so at a speed that does not create wake as there is lots of loading and unloading of oil spill equipment and wakes from vessels impede this.

 

Another reminder that a no go zone has now been extended to 1.5 nautical miles around Astrolabe Reef, out advice is not to go out.

 

We have just been advised that Whangamata Marina have 30 berths available 07 865 6274 as well as an equivalent number of swing moorings available in the Harbour through the Harbourmaster Dave Moncur 021 594 563.

 

We will keep you updated as best we can.

 

 

TAURANGA BRIDGE MARINA LTD"

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Bugger. You'd have to say that many of the rest are going to fall off too. :thumbdown:

 

Some official type person was talking about keeping track of the lost containers, I don't know why they think they can do that. If they float they'll be available to crash into for years to come.

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For what it's worth I've just sent this to our local MP Nathan Guy, who is also Minister of Internal Affairs. My reasoning is that the wider polity should be aware of the impact of 70, let alone hundreds, of floating containers.

 

Dear Nathan,

 

My wife and I are residents of Waikanae, but spend 6 months of each year living on our sailboat, in the course of a slow circumnavigation of New Zealand. We are currently in Whitianga and about to sail down the east coast.

 

I realise this is not a part of your portfolio, but I would be grateful if you could put the following in front of the relevant cabinet colleagues.

 

Internationally, thousands of shipping containers are washed off container ships each year. The containers, irrespective of their loading, hold pockets of air and reach negative bouyancy - that is, they typically float at, or just below, the surface of the water. They are almost impossible to see from the deck of small craft, and are unlikely to show on radar. As such they constitute a major hazard to shipping but, in particular, to small craft.

 

The Rena has apparently lost 70 containers overnight. 70 containers, from a navigational point of view, constitutes the creation of 70 additional hazards - 70 additional Astrolabe Reefs - if you will.

 

It is not hard to imagine the the effect of the additional several hundred above-deck containers breaking loose.

 

There will be a very short window of opportunity to round up and salvage these containers before they disperse in the strong currents of the North Island East coast.

 

I have no doubt that the Maritime authorities are doing all they can to keep track of the disaster but I suggest to you that the drifting containers will constitute as great a headache as does the oil spill - with the added potential for loss of life and limb.

 

Perhaps it is possible for the Navy to locate and mark the containers before they have a chance to disperse.

 

Thanks,

 

David Lackey

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Gotta say I have been quite impressed with the communications posted by Willow (and maybe others) from the Tauranga marina. Big ups to them for the way they appear to scrambling to manage and protect the marina and the boats in it and communicate with the owners and the service providers.

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Agreed, filling them with holes might be the best solution. Provided of course they aren't full of nasties...

 

You forget AA, our navy used all their bullets shooting the latest TV commercial........

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Depending on the age of the containers many will probably sink in a few days. The newer ones will have been fitted with a starch bung that is designed to dissolve if one falls off a ship. Once dissolved the containers sink completely. This was done to stop the semi floating hazard.

 

They should be able to tell which containers have those and which don't from the manifest. Hopefully they check so we don't have a ongoing search for containers that are already sitting on the seabed.

 

Quite impressive to see in the photo Booboo put up just how much of a load the container restraints can take. But it looks as if a few are being pushed real hard and close to letting go. Splash off more go for a swim, bugger.

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