The Rena—a cargo vessel more than 20 years old—ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef in the beautiful waters of New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty on October 6^th around 2:30 in the morning. Its crew were stranded on the ship for days, cargo containers have been going overboard, and oil has been spilling into the water.

The Bay of Plenty boasts home to a wide range of wildlife. Exotic fish, sea birds, dolphins, seals, and more make those waters home. Wildlife is always the first and hardest thing hit by oil spills. Fish and birds have been washing up on the shores of Tauranga as the oil polluted waves hit the beach.

The wildlife is not the only thing hit by oil spills. Not mentioning the quality of life affected for locals waking up to the stench of animal carcasses and the view of oil tainted water, Rena running aground hurts people’s livelihood. The obvious industry to be hurt is the fishing industry in the waters of the Bay of Plenty, but what has many worried is the affect this disaster will have on tourism.

Tourism is a major part of the economy in Tauranga. The beautiful beaches with pristine waters teeming with animals is a huge draw. Now there’s a chance beaches could be closed as the holiday season approaches.

It’s not only the oil leaking from the Rena that is a problem. Cargo containers have been toppling into the water. While it is not the case with most, there are containers on the ship holding hazardous materials. This simply serves to compound the problem.

As the fight wages to take care of the disaster, black waves continue to roll in. There is no question many people are outraged. Perhaps this outrage is part of what causes the captain and at least one crew member of the Rena to face charges under the Maritime Transport Act in the accident.

NZ Herald reports that a Philippines-based seafarers group claims racism plays a role in the captain and crew being charged. According to the NZ Herald article, the International Seafarers Action Center (ISAC) defends the Filipino crew of the Rena and says, “…some racist and extreme right elements in New Zealand… blame the national origin of the Filipino crew for the incident in order to launch a racist attack on the some 20,000 Filipino migrants who are now in New Zealand."  NZ Herald further reports that the ISAC blames international shipping laws for the disaster.

Perhaps some good will come out of the black waves and changes in shipping rules, practices, and laws will keep such an accident from occurring again.

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