Ports of Auckland assists stricken container ship

The 3,000 teu container ship ran aground on the wildlife-rich Astrolabe Reef off the coast of Tauranga, New Zealand last Wednesday. The vessel is leaking oil posing an environmental threat in the area.

New Zealand’s Transport Minister, Steven Joyce, has said that the effort to salvage the containers and the ship, which has an 11-degree list, could take weeks and even months to complete. A bunker barge has already started pumping oil from the ship.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister, John Key, is calling for answers as to how the vessel hit the well-documented reef in calm waters. “So some serious questions need to be asked about why that happened and who is responsible, and there are two inquiries under way to get those answers,” he said.