How did the Rena oil spill affect the environment?

Asked by: Kasey Campbell

Toxic oil from the spill will have different levels of long-term and short-term effects on the environment. In the short-term, the oil caused the death of about 2,000 seabirds. It is estimated that 20,000 seabirds were affected.

How did the oil spill affect the environment?

Oil spills frequently kill marine mammals such as whales, dolphins, seals, and sea otters. 10 Oil can clog blowholes of whales and dolphins, making it impossible for them to breathe properly and disrupting their ability to communicate. Oil coats fur of otters and seals, leaving them vulnerable to hypothermia.

What damage happened so the oil started spilling out of the Rena?

Oil from Rena began washing ashore at Mount Maunganui beach on 10 October. Bad weather that night had caused the ship to shift further onto the reef, and the crew was evacuated. The shifting of the ship caused further damage, resulting in a further 130–350 tonnes of oil leaking.

What animals were affected by the Rena oil spill?

Already, 350 tons of oil from the ship, the MV Rena, has leaked out with some reaching nearby beaches including a popular holiday spot, Papamoa Beach. To date the spill has killed over 200 birds, including little blue penguins, shags, petrels, albatrosses and plovers.

How was the Rena spill cleaned up?

Beads from Rena that have been washing up on shores at Matakana Island. Over 580 tonnes of liquid waste had been processed and removed for disposal by an environmental company. For the same period, 637 damaged containers had been brought to port from the vessel and recovered from beaches and the shoreline.