Eighteen empty containers have now been successfully removed from the stern of the Rena onto a crane barge in just a day and a half, TVNZ reports.
Almost all of the oil on board the cargo vessel which was stranded on the Astrolabe Reef off the Tauranga coast more than six weeks ago has been taken off, and efforts are now focussed on taking over 1200 containers on the ship back to shore.
"Bearing in mind these are empty containers, there's no real weight in them, the weather conditions are just about perfect for this operation and that's why they're going through this fairly fast today," Kenny Crawford, from Maritime New Zealand (MNZ), told ONE News.
But it will not always be smooth sailing with salvage crews admitting they may break the ship apart to get to the containers below deck.
Winds of more than twenty four knots will stop crane work and some containers are badly damaged.
"Ultimately the salvors' safety is paramount here. They don't want to be underneath a container that's gonna fall apart on them," Crawford said.
While the salvage operation continues all boats are banned from entering a massive area around the shipwreck. And it could take seven months to empty Rena.
ONE News reporter Heather du Plessis-Allan said fishing boats sit in Tauranga harbour and local fishermen said they cannot wait seven months or more to be allowed back into their fishing grounds.
Deep Star Charters Operator Garth le Lievre claims Rena has cost him half his business already.
"This is when we make our money and if we make no money this summer. I mean what's the winter going to be like? We're gonna be buggered."
Authorities told ONE News opening the fishing areas is not a priority as they are focused on the painstaking task of clearing containers.
Beach cleanup
People are being reminded clean up operations and weathered oil are still in place, despite beach access restrictions being lifted in the Bay of Plenty.
MNZ says people heading back down to the beaches this weekend need to remember restrictions remain in place on a stretch of Papamoa beach and at Maketu Spit.
Public access to the beach was restricted after the cargo vessel Rena stranded on the Astrolabe Reef more than six weeks ago. The restrictions were to allow oil spill response teams, some with heavy machinery, to work unimpeded on the most affected areas of beach.
"There is still some weathered oil in the water and on the beach, which may continue to resurface for some time," MNZ spokesman Mick Courtnell said.
"It is important for the public to understand that things are not the same as they were, and they will need to take care."
Beach users are advised to avoid oil if they see it on the beach or in the water.
There have been no fresh reports of oiling on beaches but teams of spill responders remain on standby.
Almost all of the oil on board the cargo vessel which was stranded on the Astrolabe Reef off the Tauranga coast more than six weeks ago has been taken off, and efforts are now focussed on taking over 1200 containers on the ship back to shore.
"Bearing in mind these are empty containers, there's no real weight in them, the weather conditions are just about perfect for this operation and that's why they're going through this fairly fast today," Kenny Crawford, from Maritime New Zealand (MNZ), told ONE News.
But it will not always be smooth sailing with salvage crews admitting they may break the ship apart to get to the containers below deck.
Winds of more than twenty four knots will stop crane work and some containers are badly damaged.
"Ultimately the salvors' safety is paramount here. They don't want to be underneath a container that's gonna fall apart on them," Crawford said.
While the salvage operation continues all boats are banned from entering a massive area around the shipwreck. And it could take seven months to empty Rena.
ONE News reporter Heather du Plessis-Allan said fishing boats sit in Tauranga harbour and local fishermen said they cannot wait seven months or more to be allowed back into their fishing grounds.
Deep Star Charters Operator Garth le Lievre claims Rena has cost him half his business already.
"This is when we make our money and if we make no money this summer. I mean what's the winter going to be like? We're gonna be buggered."
Authorities told ONE News opening the fishing areas is not a priority as they are focused on the painstaking task of clearing containers.
Beach cleanup
People are being reminded clean up operations and weathered oil are still in place, despite beach access restrictions being lifted in the Bay of Plenty.
MNZ says people heading back down to the beaches this weekend need to remember restrictions remain in place on a stretch of Papamoa beach and at Maketu Spit.
Public access to the beach was restricted after the cargo vessel Rena stranded on the Astrolabe Reef more than six weeks ago. The restrictions were to allow oil spill response teams, some with heavy machinery, to work unimpeded on the most affected areas of beach.
"There is still some weathered oil in the water and on the beach, which may continue to resurface for some time," MNZ spokesman Mick Courtnell said.
"It is important for the public to understand that things are not the same as they were, and they will need to take care."
Beach users are advised to avoid oil if they see it on the beach or in the water.
There have been no fresh reports of oiling on beaches but teams of spill responders remain on standby.