Maritime New Zealand clean-up efforts of debris floating in the sea from the Rena wreck are this week focusing on White Island and Motiti Island.

Braemar Howells is the company charged with clean-up and it has two boats positioned in the White Island region ready to begin debris retrieval.

Rena, photographed this morning on the Astrolabe Reef by Maritime New Zealand.

It has dispatched a container recovery team to Matakana Island today to inspect and identify three containers submerged near it.

MNZ is reporting a barge will be sent to Motiti Island to remove debris, which includes wood and milk powder bags.

Beach clean-ups will continue in Bowentown and Matakana Island at low tide.

Further down the coast in the Whakatane area, a contracted workforce is being activated to tackle debris removal.

This will cover the area from Whakatane to Torere, including Opotiki and Ohope beach.

Braemar Howells reports 52 containers have so far been recovered from the beaches and the water and 18 others have been located, either on beaches or in the water

Sonar has identified seven possible containers between the Rena wreck and Motiti Island.

Other sonar work undertaken is around the Astrolabe Reef, where the wreck is, and this is being undertaken in conjunction with diver assessments of the broken vessel.

MNZ national on scene commander Rob Service says for safety reasons divers will not enter the vessel's holds at this stage.

'It's extremely challenging and dangerous work because of the surges of water through the broken structure and the vast amount of torn steel and other debris.”

Rob says oil clean-up at Mount Maunganui and Leisure Island resumed today after Sunday's rest day, with 15 people working at each site.

'In both cases the oil being collected is predominantly old oil that has been exposed as a result of sand erosion, rather than fresh oil from the Rena breaking in two last week.

'Concentrated clean-up will continue at Mount Maunganui for the next three days.”

Repairs have been carried out to a leaking oil protective boom at Maketu, with no oil entering the estuary.

The clean-up at Matakana Island continues – large quantities of timber, wool, twine and other debris, much of it oil-coated.

Some pallets of timber are almost completely buried in sand after the recent storms.
Wildlife field teams have been at Matakana and Motiti Islands today, and north of Waihi.
There are 34 little blue penguins in care, along with three grey-faced petrels and one dotterel.
Rob says New Zealand Defence Force personnel were no longer involved in clean-up or other aspects of Rena recovery.

'The last left this morning, but they will remain on call to return.

'They've done a sterling job – at sea, in the air and on the beaches in the past few months.

'We're extremely grateful for the assets they have provided and their commitment to the task at hand.”