The first of the interest group conferences on the eventual fate of the wreck of the Rena is being hosted in Tauranga today by Beca consultants.

Today's conference will hear the views of the marine recreational sector including the dive groups who want the wreck left on the reef as a dive site.

The bow section of the Rena at Astrolabe Reef. Photo taken on August 15.

Beca AMEC Ltd is hosting the conference as part of a series of studies being undertaken by the Rena insurers, The Swedish Club.

The studies will cover a range of topics including environmental, cultural, safety, recreation, tourism and community health aspects.

Captain John Owen, overseeing the wreck recovery project and senior claims manager for The Swedish Club, says today's conference is a necessary step in allowing all parties to consider the best long-term solution.

'The results of these studies will be shared with the community and the authorities so that together we can make an informed choice.”

The studies, which are expected to be completed within two months, will focus on assessing the effects of two general scenarios, and may identify intermediate options.

The ‘base case' scenario is full wreck removal, in accordance with formal notices issued by Maritime New Zealand.

The second scenario is to assess likely conditions once the Resolve operation to reduce the bow section to below the water line is been completed.

'Wreck removal is a heavy-engineering operation that could have significant impacts on the reef and sea bed as well as marine life,” says John.

'It's never a simple task, and in this location it could be quite dangerous and will take a long time.”

The outcome of the studies will give the Swedish Club a starting point to consider the positive or negative impacts of options such as partial reduction of the sunken stern section.

While the lower end of the stern section is currently lying on a slope at a depth of up to 65metres, part of the ship's navigation bridge is only ten metres below the surface.

'That presents some risks as well as opportunities for recreational users, while an operation to reduce the height of the bridge might have some negative environmental effects,” says John.

President of the New Zealand Underwater Association and Tauranga diver Tony Kuiumdjian will be attending the conference to put forward NZUA's position.

'We believe there will be long term, ongoing financial benefits for Tauranga if Rena's sunken hull is left on the seabed,” says Tony.

'Overseas experience shows that where a similar event has occurred there has been long term ongoing financial benefits to the local communities. The number of divers coming to the Bay will certainly increase revenue for local businesses such as charter boat operators, dive shops, accommodation providers, food outlets and bars.

'My own experience has been that New Zealand divers spend large amounts of money diving shipwrecks overseas, so the same will apply here, divers will travel from all over New Zealand and the world to dive a wreck such as the Rena.”

The NZUA understands the Rena's stern section lies in 5-60 metres, making it perfect for all levels of divers and diving experience, from the new diver to the experienced techie's with their mixed gases and rebreather apparatus, says Tony.

'This wreck if left, will become the jewel in New Zealand's diving crown and yet another reason for divers to travel here. I am not aware of any similar wreck in the southern hemisphere that offers this depth range catering for all scuba divers.”

Monitoring of the pollution and contaminant levels round the reef shows they have returned to pre-wreck levels, says Tony.

'Rena represents the only wreck that we are aware of where immediately following her grounding scientists were able to very early establish baseline levels of pollutants and contaminates in the surrounding waters and are able to a high level of certainty say that these levels are now back to where they were before this event.”