The MV Rena aground on the Astrolabe reef |
|
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | ZIM America (1990–2007) Andaman Sea (2007–2010) Rena (2010–) |
| Owner: | Daina Shipping Co. |
| Charterer: | Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. (MSC) |
| Port of registry: | Monrovia, Liberia |
| Builder: | Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG, Kiel, Germany |
| Yard number: | 247[1] |
| Laid down: | 4 October 1989 |
| Completed: | 1 April 1990 |
| Identification: | ABS class no: 9001562[1] Call sign: A8XJ7 IMO number: 8806802 MMSI no.: 636014911[2] |
| Status: | Grounded on Astrolabe Reef, New Zealand |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Container ship |
| Tonnage: | 38,788 GT 16,454 NT 47,231 DWT |
| Length: | 236 m (774 ft) |
| Beam: | 32.2 m (106 ft) |
| Draught: | 12 m (39 ft) (max) |
| Depth: | 18.8 m (62 ft) |
| Installed power: | Cegielski-Sulzer 8RTA76 (21,996 kW) |
| Propulsion: | Fixed pitch propeller Bow thruster |
| Speed: | 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) |
| Capacity: | 3,351 TEU |
| Crew: | 20 |
MV Rena is a 3,351 TEU container ship owned by the Greek shipping company Costamare Inc. through one of its subsidiaries, Daina Shipping Co. The ship was built in 1990 as ZIM America for the Israeli shipping company Zim by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG in Kiel, Germany. She was renamed Andaman Sea in 2007 and has sailed under her current name and owner since 2010.
On 5 October 2011 the Rena ran aground near Tauranga, New Zealand, resulting in an oil spill.[3]
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In the late 1980s the Israeli shipping company Zim launched a major renovation and fleet expansion project, which included ordering 15 new ships. One of the new ships was ZIM America, which was laid down on 4 October 1989 at the Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG shipyard in Kiel, Germany. Delivered on 1 April 1990 and registered in Haifa, the new 3351 TEU container ship enabled Zim to offer a weekly fixed-day sailing schedule for its customers.[1][4][5] The ZIM America was later re-registered under the Maltese flag in 2004 with Valletta as her home port, and in 2007 she was renamed Andaman Sea.[2][6]
In 2010 the Andaman Sea was sold to Daina Shipping Co., a subsidiary of the Greek shipping company Costamare Inc. She was renamed Rena and registered in the port of Monrovia in Liberia.[1][2] In 2011 the shipping company signed a five-year charter for Rena with the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).[7]
In 2006, during a US Coast Guard inspection, the ship's Automatic Identification System (AIS) was found to be inoperative, and not transmitting to other ships. The Coast Guard recommended that the AIS transponder be replaced.[8]
On Wednesday, 5 October 2011 at 2:20 AM while sailing from Napier to Tauranga the MV Rena ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef, off the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.[3][9] The ship was carrying 1,368 containers, eight of which contained hazardous materials, as well as 1,700 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and 200 tonnes of marine diesel.[10]
By Sunday, 9 October a 5-kilometre (3.1 mi) oil slick threatened wildlife and the area's rich fishing waters.[11] Oil from the Rena began washing ashore at Mount Maunganui beach on 10 October.[12] Bad weather that night caused the ship to shift on the reef, and the crew were evacuated.[13][14] The shifting of the ship caused further damage, resulting in a further 130 - 350 tonnes of oil leaking.[14]
On 11 October the spill was declared New Zealand's worst ever maritime environmental disaster by Environment Minister Nick Smith.[15]
By 13 October the ship was on a 20-degree lean and 88 of her 1368 containers had fallen into the sea.[16]
Due to increased pressure to her hull, Rena is expected at any point to split in two, furthering the environmental impact of the disaster.[17] It was reported on October 14, 2011, that Rena had cracked in two, held together only by her internal structure and the reef itself.
The Rena is a 236-metre (774 ft) Panamax container ship with a container capacity of 3,351 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) in seven holds.[7] Her breadth, limited by the old locks of the Panama canal, is 32.2 metres (106 ft) and fully laden she draws 12 metres (39 ft) of water. Her gross tonnage is 38,788, net tonnage 16,454 and deadweight tonnage 47,231 tons.[1] The Rena is served by a crew of 20.[18]
The ship is propelled by a single eight-cylinder Cegielski-Sulzer 8RTA76 two-stroke low-speed diesel engine directly coupled to a fixed-pitch propeller. The main engine, which has a maximum output of 21,996 kW (29,497 hp) at 98 rpm, burns 90 tons of heavy fuel oil per day while giving the ship a service speed of 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph). For maneuvering at ports the ship is also equipped with a bow thruster. The shipboard power is generated by two 1,240 kilowatts (1,660 hp) auxiliary generating sets.[1][18]