New Zealand oil spill: conservationists warn of wildlife 'tragedy'

[alp227]

Source: Guardian

Conservationists have warned of an impending wildlife "tragedy" caused by an oil spill off the east coast of New Zealand, with populations of penguins, whales, seals and seabirds set to be hardest hit.

A severe weather warning for the Bay of Plenty area on Monday/yesterday has heightened fears that the stricken cargo vessel Rena, which is carrying 1,700 tonnes of fuel oil and 200 tonnes of diesel, will start to break up, with grim consequences for the local marine wildlife.

The fallout from the incident, which saw Rena run aground on a reef last Wednesday, is already being felt, with seven little blue penguins and two cormorants recovered and treated today at a centre in Tauranga.

However, this number is expected to rise to more than 200 in the coming days, with warnings that an escalation of the situation would have dire consequences for several species.

WWF New Zealand said it hoped the incident woul

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/oct/10/new-zealand-oil-spill-wildlife-tragedy

[alp227]

1. Oil spill is New Zealand's 'worst maritime disaster'

Source: The Guardian

Fears that New Zealand could face a large-scale environmental crisis have escalated as the oil leaking from the container ship Rena into the sea off the Tauranga coast increased by as much as ten-fold.

The news came as the vessel's remaining crew were evacuated following a mayday alarm amid heavy swells.

The New Zealand environment minister, Nick Smith, said the fresh release of oil into the sea meant the Rena spill was the country's most serious ever maritime environmental disaster.

Speaking at a media conference on Tuesday afternoon, he said the consequences had been "inevitable" since the ship ploughed into the Astrolabe reef in calm waters in the North Island Bay of Plenty last Wednesday morning.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/oct/11/new-zealand-oil-spill-worst-maritime-disaster

[chervilant]

2. Let me guess:

the captain was sleeping/drunk/an effing idiot?!?

[Overseas]

3. Sad K&R.