Small patches of oil are washing up along beaches from Mount Maunganui to Papamoa after stormy weather caused deterioration in the stern and forward section of Rena.

Strong winds and large sea swells hammered the two parts of the wreck at Astrolabe Reef causing in a release of an unknown number of containers and debris.

Bulkheads on the stern section have been damaged by heavy seas. Photo LOC. Inset: Spots of oil are washing ashore on Bay of Plenty beaches.

Maritime New Zealand says swells of up to 6metres impacted on the wreck with a list on the stern section reducing slightly as a result.

MNZ Tauranga response and recovery manager David Billington says it was evident during an observation flight this morning that the bad weather event caused damage to bulkheads at the front of the stern section and structural damage on the forward section of Rena. Bulkheads are like the internal walls of the ship.

'This has resulted in some containers and some debris going into the sea,” says David

'There is a light debris field of about 2 nautical miles stretching east south east of Rena. At the moment it is quite localised, but it is likely this will spread further out as the day progresses.”

The debris field contained bags of milk powder and timber. Two containers have been observed floating about 2km from the wreck.

David says any boaties out on the water should keep a good look out and avoid the area between the wreck site and Motiti Island.

'There is timber in the water, which could certainly cause damage if vessels came into contact with it at speed. We advise all skippers to listen to the navigational warnings being put out by the harbourmaster, watch their speeds and keep a good lookout.

'We also encourage anyone who sees containers or debris in the water to call it in to the container hotline on 0800 333 771 as all information from the public will help us build a better picture of what's out there.”

David says Svitzer salvors are monitoring the vessel closely for further movement but it appears settled for now. Weather conditions had eased and there was a 3-4m swell around the reef.

Container and debris recovery company Braemar Howells sent out a plane and fleet of vessels to respond to the latest release of containers and debris today.

Two tug boats, a fast response vessel, one barge, and a plane are assessing the situation to determine whether sea conditions will allow debris collection to get under way.

National On Scene Commander Rob Service says a light sheen of oil is stretching just under one nautical mile in an easterly direction from the wreck. Observers had also noted some dark patches of oil in the immediate vicinity of the wreck.

Shoreline Clean-up Assessment Teams had surveyed the beach between Leisure Island and Tay Street this morning and located small droplets of oil along the high tide mark.

Rob says these could be the result of the fresh release, or old oil being exposed due to the stormy weather. Members of the public are encouraged to ring the oil hotline on 0800 OIL SPILL (0800 645 774) to let the response team know.

'We'll be keeping a close eye on the movement of the sheen and our response team is ready for any fresh oil that reaches the shoreline,” Mr Service said.

MNZ reminds people it is critical to safe operations that the aerial and marine exclusion zone of three nautical miles around the Astrolabe Reef and 1500 feet above the exclusion zone is observed and respected.

Entering the exclusion zone can seriously impact on the recovery operation and put those working on salvaging the ship at risk. It is also an offence to enter the exclusion zone and anyone found breaching this zone could be fined up to $20,000.