Rising to stormy and sensitive challenges

The grounding of container vessel Rena on a New Zealand reef affected a very large environmentally and culturally sensitive area. Salvors faced logistic, legal and community challenges as they worked to mitigate the impact. Claudene Sharp, of Braemar Howells, outlines the issues the fi rm faced

When the Rena ran aground on a reef in New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty, its isolation from any other large land mass added to the challenge of finding the appropriate salvage solutions. The weather and sea conditions are having a significant impact on the salvors’ operations as they work to protect and clear this environmentally sensitive coastline.