New Zealand First Tauranga electorate candidate Brendan Horan is taking issue with the government's comments about the salvors' success in finishing continuous pumping of oil from the Rena.
The container ship ran aground on Astrolabe Reef on October 5 and has since leaked an estimated 350 tonnes of heavy fuel oil into the sea.
See video below of Brendan Horan criticising the government over its celebration of the salvors' completion of continuous oil pumping from the Rena.
This is from an initial ‘fuel budget' of about 1700 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, located in several different tanks around the ship.
Maritime New Zealand has run the oil pumping operation in conjunction with the salvage company Svitzer.
All numbers regarding the ‘fuel budget' were supplied to media by MNZ and it offers a measure of how much oil was pumped from the ship onto barges, primarily the Awanuia.
The ‘fuel budget' does not include lighter oils – it is specific to the heavy fuel oil that is considered the substance of danger to the environment.
Based on the ‘fuel budget', at the weekend it was announced by MNZ that there was just 60 tonnes of heavy fuel oil left aboard the Rena.
Transport Minister Steven Joyce has acknowledged disappointment that any oil leaked into the sea at all.
'When the Rena hit the reef in the early hours of 5 October, damage to the duct keel and the starboard number three tank resulted in the release of some 350 Tonnes of fuel oil into the sea.
'While that was clearly a terrible thing to occur, the meticulous work of the salvors has meant no oil from the other tanks has been released.”
Steven has much praise for the work of the salvors.
'This is not a situation anyone would wish to occur, but I am very pleased with the salvage and clean up efforts to date.”
He is also aware of an ongoing environmental concern despite cessation of continuous pumping of oil.
Removing dregs from tanks and pipes cannot be conducted through a continuous pumping method.
'There is, however, a strong possibility that some oil remains trapped in the vessel and that it could be released if the Rena breaks up, or when the wreck starts to be removed in phase three of the operation. However, the vast bulk of the 1350 tonnes held in tanks on the ship has now been removed.
'There's still much important work to be done but all New Zealanders can take comfort in the reaching of this very important milestone.”
Brendan Horan says this is a bad attitude as the 60 tonnes remaining in the ship poses a real environmental threat and that there could well be much more than this still aboard too.
View Brendan's criticism of the government on video here:
9 comments
Stick to forecasting the weather
Posted on 15-11-2011 09:28 | By Gee Really
This is just political opportunism at its worst in my view. I want someone with greater thinking ability to represent my electorate in parliament.
Possibly The Truth
Posted on 15-11-2011 10:50 | By tabatha
@Gee Really you need to think carefully about what Brendon has said. He has done the maths from information gathered and he is obviously worried about the unaccounted oil. There were times I thought some of these figure do not add up and it looks like someone who has made a deeper study of it has come up with the truth, or alternatively more oil leaked out then we were told about. Very hard to measure leaked oil it has to be summarised. Interestingly Brendon is one of the few candidates who has spoken of his thoughts and not using someone others ideas. How much have we really heard from our existing MP? Is he being gagged? Politicians other then the big boys have been very quiet if you think about it. Until the Rena is finally disposed of we have problems looming and that could be a lot longer than a year away. To those working on the problem keep it up and keep us informed every day. The good media keep feeding us other snippets you find.
Brendons Figures Dont Stack Up
Posted on 15-11-2011 12:52 | By kiwiwayno
You need to watch this clip over and do the numbers yourself - based on what he is saying. Let me recap: 1700 tonne on board when it hit. 350 tonne lost in the big spill. 100 tonnes estimated in the Duct Keel. 10 tonne lost overboard 3 weeks ago. 60 tonne left on board, and 1200 tonne pumped. Last time I looked 350 + 100 + 10 + 60 + 1200 equalled 1720. How then can he be claiming 300 tonne on board? By MNZ own cals they pumped around 1300 tonnes so it would then seem the size of the spill may have been smaller? Either way, a big thanks needs to go out to the guys who spent days and nights out there pumping this stuff off.
Posted on 15-11-2011 13:23 | By traceybjammet
lets just stick together and get the job done instead of using it as a poliyical carry-on
Continuous Pumping
Posted on 15-11-2011 13:58 | By Karl Andersen
I dont think anyone is patting themselves on the back, as a Mount resident (like Brendon) im stoked we have dodged a massive bullet, its acknowledged there is still residue oil onboard this vessel but the salvors have taken all that is pumpable, they will remove this dregs with buckets and mops if necessary as time permits, lets be glad we've gotten this far and please dont use the Rena, Pike River or Christchurch as political footballs, these are acts beyond politics and anyone using them for their party gains wont sway my vote or others who can see past their noses.
Rastus
Posted on 15-11-2011 14:47 | By rastus
Easy to see that Gee Really is not an NZ First supporter - what Brendon has stated whether you like it or not, seems to me to be the logical truth i.e. 2+ 2 still = 4 as far as I am concerned. Interestingly every time I talk to anyone who just hates NZ First, I always ask why and inevitably there is never a factual/sensible/ logical answer - NZ First has shown since day one that telling it how it is cannot be handled by the detractors. Anyone with a brain can observe all the benefits that Tauranga has derived with NZ First representation - you have to look pretty hard to find anything that National has done in its many years representing Tauranga - Having been a resident for over fifty years I can tell you that in my time here, Tauranga has prospered despite the feeble support it ever received in the National years -under Walsh/Allan/Peters/Clarkson/Bridges - The party constrained Winston every time he attempted to introduce anything that would help Tauranga - why bother when you have a safe seat - so use you brain Gee Really and be honest with yourself!
Flash
Posted on 15-11-2011 15:13 | By gordon.stewart
Absolutely right, go back to reading the weather and leave your negative thoughts on the Rena to the EXPERTS who are working day and night in the bowels of the ship to get every bit of oil off. Try using some positive comments to get some political support. I would never vote for someone who has that sort of attitude in criticizing the people who are doing their absolute best.
Used to support NZ First
Posted on 15-11-2011 19:43 | By Gee Really
then got uncomfortable with the leadership style and what I thought were evasive answers to reasonable questions. Oh yeah, the baubles of office thing too, like not going to accept them. Hmmmm.
OMG
Posted on 16-11-2011 10:46 | By SpeakUp
What a sad state when politics are wannabe run by ex-rugby players. We need people with caliber, wisdom and integrity in politics, a "meritocracy".
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