The salvage operation to pump oil from a cargo ship stranded off the northern coast of New Zealand has been set back due to rough seas and strong winds in the region.

MNZ salvageunit manager Andrew Berry said: “Strong winds of up to 35kt (65km/h) and swells of 2-4m have hampered salvage efforts since late last night. There are currently no salvors on board Rena as the salvors, Svitzer, wait for weather conditions to improve before attempting to re-board the ship to recommence pumping on to Awanuia.”

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

According to reports, about 90t of oil had been pumped off, leaving more than 1,200t still on board the vessel, which sparked sea pollution from the spilled oil.

The Liberian-flagged cargo carrier Rena, owned by Greek company Costamare, has been stuck for 12 days on a reef 14 miles off Tauranga on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island.

The vessel, which remains adrift, has reported stress fracture to the hull, triggering fears that the vessel may break in two, which is making the removal of oil and more than 1,000 containers from the boat difficult.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

Ship Technology Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Ship Technology Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Dual winner of the 2025 Ship Technology Excellence Awards , Flyability’s Elios 3 UT drone is redefining ship inspections. See how class-approved LiDAR and UT data, collision-tolerant design and digital twins are replacing scaffolding and rope access with faster, safer remote inspection workflows.

Discover the Impact