The Filipino captain of a ship stuck on a New Zealand reef was arrested and charged today after up to 70 containers fell into rough seas and a black tide of oil washed up on beaches, Pretoria News reports.
Mauro Balomanga appeared in a Tauranga city court amid a heavy police presence charged with operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk as New Zealand grapples with its worst maritime pollution disaster.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of NZ$10 000 (US$7,800), or 12 months in jail. According to reports, Balomanga had captained the ship only since March. Up to 300 tons of heavy fuel has leaked into the environmentally sensitive Bay of Plenty since the Liberian-flagged Rena hit the Astrolabe Reef, 22km off the North Island coast, last Wednesday.
Overnight, containers had begun plunging off the vessel, Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) said, but none of them contained hazardous material.
It was highly likely more containers would topple off because of the severe weather conditions and the vessel’s heavy list, MNZ said, despite tying them down tightly to prevent them falling off.
Local residents said they had collected large numbers of dead birds and fish on beaches.
Mauro Balomanga appeared in a Tauranga city court amid a heavy police presence charged with operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk as New Zealand grapples with its worst maritime pollution disaster.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of NZ$10 000 (US$7,800), or 12 months in jail. According to reports, Balomanga had captained the ship only since March. Up to 300 tons of heavy fuel has leaked into the environmentally sensitive Bay of Plenty since the Liberian-flagged Rena hit the Astrolabe Reef, 22km off the North Island coast, last Wednesday.
Overnight, containers had begun plunging off the vessel, Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) said, but none of them contained hazardous material.
It was highly likely more containers would topple off because of the severe weather conditions and the vessel’s heavy list, MNZ said, despite tying them down tightly to prevent them falling off.
Local residents said they had collected large numbers of dead birds and fish on beaches.