Environmental effects of the MV Rena shipwreck: cross-disciplinary investigations of oil and debris impacts on a coastal ecosystem

• Published in: New Zealand journal of marine and freshwater research 2016-01, Vol.50 (1), p.1-9
• Main Authors: Schiel, DR, Ross, PM, Battershill, CN
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Astrolabe Reef; Ecosystems; environmental recovery; Interdisciplinary aspects; maritime environmental disaster; oil spill contamination; Oil spills; Rena
• ISSN: 0028-8330; 1175-8805
• DOI: 10.1080/00288330.2015.1133665

The 2011 wreck of the MV Rena off the northeast coast of New Zealand, and subsequent impacts, has been called New Zealand's worst ever maritime environmental disaster. It is certainly one of the world's most complex as it involved a pollutant combination of oil and dangerous goods debris in a dynamic oceanic environment adjacent to a pristine coastline. Heavy fuel oil, shipping containers loaded with cargo, and a wide range of wreck debris and contaminants were spread along hundreds of kilometres of coastline of the Bay of Plenty. Much of this landed on sandy beaches and rocky shores. Broken containers released often toxic substances, and the wreck itself slid down the pinnacle of the wreck site at Astrolabe Reef (Otaiti). The reef remains heavily contaminated, with substantial remnants of the ship and its cargo present, and chemical effects still evident in some species. Here we present the background and timeline of events that unfolded after the grounding. The following articles contain the results of the ensuing chemical, toxicological and ecological studies of contamination and environmental recovery. At the time of writing, numerous legacy issues remain.