One half of a cargo ship that ran aground on a New Zealand reef three months ago has sunk into the ocean, Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) said on Wednesday. According to the organisation, the stern section of the 47 000-ton vessel was ripped away from the front by 7-metre high waves on Sunday which led to the sinking. As many as 300 of the 830 containers left on the Rena were lost overboard as it began breaking up. More than 30 have washed up on shore while many have sunk and others are still floating in the sea. The Rena, which ran aground 22 kilometres off the east coast port of Tauranga on October 5 last year, was also leaking oil. While protective booms have been put in place around the area, a shoreline clean-up assessment team is on hand and has not yet found any evidence of fresh oil coming ashore. Observers said it seemed as if patches of oil in the ocean appeared to be breaking down naturally in the swell. There are currently 2.5 to 3-metre swells around the Rena. MNZ said experts were in the air and on the nearby beaches assessing the situation continuously.
