New Zealand Spends $130M on MV Rena Clean Up, Extent of Damage Still Being Assessed

The ill-fated MV Rena which brought to New Zealand its worst maritime disaster, has so far cost $130 million, and $28 million of this amount has come from taxpayers, the Bay of Plenty Times reported.

Rena crashed and got wedged in on Astrolabe Reef in Bay of Plenty off Tauranga in October last year. A massive oil spill followed, and officers of the large vessel have been brought to court over the unfortunate incident.

NZ Environment minister Nick Smith told the Times the amount is only preliminary, as the total cost cannot be determined until the cleanup is complete.

Mr. Smith said the $130 million estimate covers only the basics, such as fuel, cargo and the recovery of the ship itself.

He said the Government intends to get the money spent by taxpayers back from the Greek owners of the vessel.

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