Editorial: Oil spill: Public deserve to know

The shag found covered in oil is in recovery

The shag covered in oil. The remnants of black muck at the high tide mark at Maungatapu. The hand covered in black, slimy mess. Bags of oil-coated debris.

These and other photos of oil in our harbour captured by our photographers over the past two days have left me feeling sick - and wondering how an oil spill could happen again.

An unknown amount of oil has been dumped into Tauranga Harbour after a pipe leaked on Monday. The bad weather that battered the region made the effort of trying to manage the spill that much more difficult. As reported in today's edition, international fuel giant Mobil owns the pipe.

People are upset and have every right to be. One resident we spoke to described the incident as disgusting. People in the marine industry have told us it has already had a profound impact on them.

The first thing I thought of when I heard about the spill on Monday was Rena. It has been about three and a half years since the ill-fated container ship struck Astrolabe Reef, depositing hundreds of tonnes of heavy fuel oil, and containers into the sea.

The disaster and its aftermath ignited public outrage - and rightly so. We all remember the sight and stench of oil on our pristine beaches, the wildlife covered in oil and containers being washed ashore.

Rena's scars are still raw. The wreck's remains are still out there with a hearing looming over whether it stays.

This week's spill shows just how vulnerable we are to oil spills given we have a port and so many ships visiting.

As of yesterday afternoon, officials were still unable to say how much oil has been lost.

This concerns me. I would have thought that in this day of modern technology companies are able to keep track of how much oil is held and transferred during shipping operations.

There will most likely be more to come on this story in the coming days. Mobil says there will be an investigation to find out why the spill happened.

There most surely should be. This spill is unacceptable.

Mobil and the authorities dealing with this mess must tell us everything they know and the results of the investigation must be made public.