Pressing on with the Rena salvage

Progress on salvaging containers from the stricken MV Rena has slowed in the last week due to strong winds in the Bay of Plenty region. But the pace should quicken over the next few days.





We received a link via e-mail just a few minutes ago, and it is from that link that the photo above comes. The Smit-Borneo is a long-reach crane barge which has been towed to New Zealand from its base in Singapore.

With its 54-metre reach, the Smit-Borneo can work from either side of the Rena, unlike the ST60 which has been recovering containers to date. It can also accomodate 150 people onboard, and operate in slightly rougher conditions than the ST60.

There are still 1117 containers to be recovered from the Rena; hopefully the salvors will soon get an extended period of settled weather which will allow the pace of salvage and container recovery to increase.