Fears of fresh oil spill from wrecked ship

The condition of a cargo ship stranded on a New Zealand reef, has worsened, and authorities say they are preparing for it to break apart.

Salvage crews have been in a stop-start race to remove oil from the vessel Rena to prevent it from leaking into the sea for nearly a month.

Crews removed more than 1,100 tonnes of oil before bad weather halted efforts on Sunday. About 385 tonnes remain on board – about the same amount that has leaked into the sea already.

The ship has been stranded since 5 October.

The reef is about 14 miles from Tauranga Harbour on the country’s North Island.

Maritime New Zealand said on Tuesday that a barge attached to the ship’s stern will drag the vessel to shallower water if it breaks apart.

A long-term recovery plan has been drawn up, and the clean-up from the incident could take as much as 12 months, according to the country’s environment minister Nick Smith.

A government plan prepares for a worst-case scenario of a second 350 tonnes of oil spilling into the surrounding water.