Captain of grounded ship jailed

The captain and the navigator of a ship that ran aground on a New Zealand reef last year have been each sentenced to seven months in jail.

About 400 tons of fuel oil spilled on Astrolabe Reef near Tauranga and at least 2,000 sea birds died in the October 5 grounding of the cargo ship Rena.

Judge Robert Wolff from the Tauranga District Court yesterday sentenced the ship’s captain, Mauro Balomaga, and navigating officer, Leonil Relon, both from the Philippines. The two had already pleaded guilty to operating the ship dangerously and altering documents after the crash.

A preliminary report released by transport investigators in March found that the Rena took short-cuts to try to reach port by a deadline.

Maritime New Zealand, the agency responsible for shipping in New Zealand, said it was pleased with the sentences.

The wreck of the Rena remains on the reef. It split in two earlier this year, with the stern section sinking and the bow section remaining above water. Salvage crews continue removing containers from it.