by Hans | August 15th, 2012
A recent good weather window was all that was needed for Braemar Howells to recover a further eight Rena containers from the seabed.
The eight included one that still had all its contents – weighing about 25 tonnes it carried cans of baked beans and chocolate rice.
The Rena owners and insurers are pleased to note this brings the number of containers recovered up to 977. There were 1368 containers on board when the Rena ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga on October 5 last year.
All eight containers, retrieved on Friday and Saturday, required rigging by a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) controlled from the surface, as all were past the limits of safe diving depths. The containers were recovered from varying depths, with some in less than 50 metres of water, but the majority at greater depths.
Braemar Howells operations manager Neil Lloyd confirmed that some of the containers were intact, including the one carrying the baked beans and chocolate rice. The cans and contents were taken to landfill, and any drainage water dealt with in accordance with Braemar’s waste management plan. About 30 per cent of Rena debris recovered has been recycled, and this includes wastewater and timber for example.
The good weather late last week also enabled Braemar to survey around the Rena and Astrolabe Reef, monitoring the state of the wreck.
As environmental clean-up specialists Braemar is also responsible for the clearing of debris from beaches and this continues with beaches constantly being monitored and cleared of Rena-related flotsam.
A total of 168 bags of debris were collected from Coromandel beaches last week alone. The debris included predominantly beads, but also small pieces of wood, for example.
When a prolonged good weather window occurs, Braemar will be sending a barge and recovery vessel up The Coromandel to remove debris from hard to access, isolated areas.
Press Release Braemer
